InuYasha Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Siren’s Call ❯ Siren's Call ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Siren's Call

 

Summary: The attraction that the females of their clan give off is almost impossible to ignore. And, with a simple few words passing their lips, men can fall to their knees and beg them to let them stay by their side. [Sasuke/Kagome, Itachi/Kagome, Neji/Kagome]

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto. They belong to Takahashi Rumiko©, and Kishimoto Masashi©.

 

Genre: Romance/Drama/General

 

Rating: Pre-teen

 

OoO

 

“What?” she demanded, her head shooting up from the position she'd allowed it to end in on her desk. Her tired posture straightened, her dislike for her paperwork fading as she demanded once more what the jounin before her had just said. Surely she hadn't heard those words as she thought she did. “Tell me that you're joking,” she demanded.

 

The jounin shook a little, “I-I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I-I'm afraid that I cannot.” He gulped, “The facts are the facts, Uchiha Sasuke has gone missing.”

 

“Has he been seen recently?” she demanded. This could not be happening again, there had already been one incident like this before. They did not need for another shinobi to simply disappear without a trace. She could only be slightly happy that the boy's clan was gone, since then she couldn't have it pressed down upon her as the Hyuuga Clan had done with the disappearance of Hyuuga Neji. Then again, Naruto and Sakura may be even worse than Hiashi had been. Plus, there was the Council of Elders to consider once they heard of his leave; again, since they were sure to remember the first time he disappeared to be trained by Orochimaru.

 

“He was seen yesterday with a young woman,” the jounin said. “He seemed quite taken with her, and she seemed to be the same with him. However, when you told me to find him for the mission you spoke of… he is no longer in the village, Hokage-sama.”

 

“A young woman?” Tsunade hissed.

 

“Y-yes,” he replied, knowing that he was giving the Hokage before him more of a reason to be angry. He remembered the search that had gone out with the disappearance of Hyuuga Neji, before finally they had given up and labeled him as a missing-nin. He remembered the records, about how Hyuuga Neji had been seen with a pretty young woman before his disappearance; they'd been told that he'd seemed very taken with her, almost to the point that it looked like he'd found love at first sight.

 

“Was anyone able to give you a description of this young woman?” Tsunade asked.

 

“A civilian was able to, Hokage-sama,” he said hesitantly. “She described the woman as a youth around the age of seventeen with blue eyes, long black hair, and wearing a black kimono. She said that the woman seemed to radiate a sense of peace in such a way that she hadn't wanted her to leave her café.”

 

Tsunade's eyes darkened, “So she returned, did she?”

 

“H-Hokage-sama?” the jounin asked, wondering what she was speaking of.

 

“The woman was described the same way when Hyuuga Neji disappeared. We can only guess that she has done the same thing that she did to him to Uchiha Sasuke,” Tsunade growled. “I want this woman found. I cannot have anymore valuable shinobi disappearing simply because she radiates a sense of peace and happiness. I want her found, and I want Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke returned to their posts.”

 

The jounin bowed his head, “There's one more thing, Hokage-sama.”

 

“Well, what is it?” Tsunade snapped, impatient.

 

The jounin held out a piece of folded paper and allowed the Hokage to take it. When she'd unfolded it, and gazed at the contents, he continued, “The civilian was able to remember that symbol on the woman's kimono.”

 

Tsunade's eyes widened. The clan symbol that had been drawn onto the paper was one that was known far and wide. A clan that for some reason produced nearly no males at all as offspring, so they went in search of men from other villages—what they called new bloodlines—to see if they could fix the genetic problem. They usually ended up staying in the village the new bloodline came from and sent the males they did happen to birth back to their clan. However, the females, though it was still unknown why the males did not inherit the bloodline trait or kekkei genkai, had what other villages described as the siren's call. “A-are you positive that this symbol was on her kimono?” she asked in a small voice.

 

“Unfortunately,” the jounin bowed his head, “the answer is `yes', Hokage-sama.”

 

“The village must be put on high alert,” Tsunade said. “If this woman truly is apart of this clan then we will need to stop her from taking anymore men under her control. I know that their attraction fades once they have obtained three to four suitors, mates as they call them, but I do not wish to risk anymore shinobi to this woman. You will tell all available kunoichi that they are to watch over two or three men when they are able, making sure that this woman does not take another male from this village.”

 

“I will begin to inform others of your decision, Hokage-sama,” the jounin then disappeared in a poof of smoke.

 

Tsunade crumpled the paper in her hands, wishing she had seen the signs when they'd described how Hyuuga Neji had acted around the strange woman, before disappearing completely the next day. The boy had barely paid attention to anything other than his training, only showing a slight kindness toward his old teammates and his cousin, Hyuuga Hinata. She should have seen the signs, she should have thought it was possible that a female of the clan could end up traveling this far, yet she had thought they would not make it this far for such a purpose. However, the clan prided themselves on producing strong shinobi, whether male or female, so it was not hard to imagine one traveling such a great distance from so deep within Kaminari no Kuni.

 

OoO

 

“We'll be together forever and ever, Sasuke.”

 

A smirk tugged onto the elder's lips, before she asked, “So, you have finally found three suitors that appeal to you?”

 

“Yes, Kikyo-nee-san,” she replied, drawn out of the memory that she'd been pulled into. The words had flowed softly into her mind, her voice echoing back to her as she stood next to her elder sibling. They had traveled so far in search of bloodlines that may be able to increase the outcome of males in their clan's population, but she had not expected to find such charming men. She had not expected to feel what she was beginning to feel for them the more she spent in their presence, and she tried so very hard to keep that information from her elder.

 

Kikyo would not like that—she would not like that at all.

 

“Good,” Kikyo said. She placed a hand onto her younger sibling's shoulder, before stating, “We will be able to sent word to the clan that we have both found men that appeal to us and hopefully, in time, we will be able to see if they are capable of improving the chances of producing males.”

 

She sighed, nodding. For years she had known that Kikyo and her would be the ones to set out in a further distance than anyone had ever gone, besides one other woman. She had known, but she still did not like the fact that her very blood caused the men she'd chosen as her own to stay by her side, instead of them falling for her over time. She had never liked the idea, she had seen it many times when women decided to return to the clan with their suitors, but what was done was done. They had been attracted to her, she had been attracted to them, and in the end she had decided to keep them, as all females of their clan decided.

 

“We have traveled far,” Kikyo continued. “Much farther than any other woman in our clan and we can only hope that these males will have what it takes. After all, Nozomi may have been traveling to Tsuchi no Kuni, but she was killed, and there is no way of knowing if she ever truly reached her destination. We should congratulate ourselves on not only traveling here, but finding such beautiful men—though, I still do not approve of the fact you picked two blood siblings, Kagome.”

 

“I know, Kikyo-nee-san,” she bowed her head. She had not been able to help herself, the first male she'd chosen had been because of his strength and the ability she had seen him use with his eyes—such beautiful eyes. The second male had been rather aloof like the others, but she had also found herself drowning in his pupil-less orbs, and she had enjoyed conversing with him. However, when Kikyo had sent her to find her final suitor, since their line normally only took three instead of four, she had found the blood sibling of her first suitor, and his doujutsu had activated instinctively before he had fallen into her call. She found that she could not resist their eyes, it was almost as if she could see their pain and she wanted to sooth it the best she could for as long as she could.

 

Kikyo sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her sibling. After all, she knew that Kagome was naïve in most ways and the girl would most likely begin to love her suitors—though it was not forbidden, she highly disproved of it, since it brought heartache. The girl had instinctively sensed the troubled souls they possessed, one of the abilities kept secret within the clan, and had been drawn to them like a moth to a flame. Luckily, however, her younger sibling's call had dissipated not long after she'd returned with her final suitor, or else she may have sensed the other soul within the village she'd gone into. She guessed it was a good thing that Kagome had always had a hard time trying to sense the emotions within another's soul with anything more than instinct.

 

“Nee-san?” Kagome almost whispered, turning her attention back to her elder.

 

“Hn?” Kikyo allowed pass her lips, signaling that she was listening and would allow a question to be asked. It did not mean she would answer it, but she would allow her sister to ask the question.

 

“Will we be returning to the clan immediately?” she asked.

 

“Why do you ask, Kagome?” Kikyo replied with a question of her own. She knew that Kagome relished the freedom that they had at the moment; she would most likely wish to stay within the village she had acquired two of her suitors from. However, she also wished to know why her sibling was so interested in when they would be returning. After all, she did not plan to return quickly, but she did plan to return someday.

 

“My suitors are all shinobi, as are yours,” Kagome began. “I merely wished to know, since I believe it might be a good idea to have Neji and Sasuke return to the village in order to explain why they suddenly disappeared. The guards at the gate were very tense after Neji disappeared, and I can only hope that they're not panicking with the disappearance of Sasuke.”

 

Kikyo frowned a little, “I do not think that it will be necessary, Kagome. The village will be able to handle losing two shinobi, no matter what rank they are, and I am sure that in time they will come to understand and move on with their lives.” As she stared at her sibling, though, she knew that Kagome had not been convinced.

 

OoO

 

“WHAT!?!”

 

“Naruto, calm down.”

 

“CALM DOWN! Calm down!” he yelled back. “How dare you tell me to calm down? He only just returned two years ago, he disappears, and the first thing you tell me after finally allowing me to know is to calm down! We've got to get out there and find him—” His quickly lengthening rant was cut short when a soft hand was placed onto his shoulder and he turned to find his female teammate staring at him with soft eyes.

 

“Tsunade-sama, you said that Sasuke was most likely taken by the same person who took Neji, didn't you?” the female asked.

 

Tsunade nodded. “That's correct, Sakura.” She sighed softly, clenching her hands in her lap. “However, took is not the word I would use, since they most likely went willingly.”

 

“Willingly?” Naruto started up again. “I've known Sasuke and Neji for years, Tsunade-baa-chan! They wouldn't have just walked out on Konohagakure because some person asked them!”

 

“Naruto,” Tsunade snapped, not wishing for his crap anymore. “You will shut up until I have finished telling you about the clan that the person came from. Do you understand?”

 

Naruto lowered his finger, which he had raised in hopes of drilling his point into Tsunade's brain. Of course, he knew that it wouldn't have helped any, but this was serious. Sasuke had returned only two years ago and spent nearly half of that trying to prove that he had only gone to Orochimaru to learn what he could from the Sannin, before returning to the village that he was truly loyal to. Neji was a strong jounin; a person that he knew would not have just walked out on the village that he called home. Sure, he knew that they had given up hope on having Neji return to the village and labeled him as a missing-nin, but he had never known that there was a possibility he'd been taken by force, just that Neji had seemed to like a girl never seen before a lot before he disappeared.

 

Kakashi gave the younger man a pat on the head, silently telling him that they would do anything to have Sasuke returned. Besides, if he knew his students as well as he thought he did, he knew that they would search until the end of the earth in order to find him. Only the word of the Hokage would stop them from searching, but even then they would hope that he would one day walk through the morning fog and back into their lives. And he knew that only solid proof of his death after that would stop them from hoping.

 

“This clan is made of mostly women,” Tsunade began, “and within a year they are lucky to have four to five boys born into their family line. It is not quite sure when they began to show signs of the kekkei genkai, but they have acquired what other villages have to come to know as the siren's call. It occurs only in the women of this clan, and after they have used the siren's call to attract three or four men, who instantly show signs of what appears to be love, it simply dissipates and they are no longer able to attract anyone else—no one is quite sure what happens to it.”

 

Sakura raised her hand slightly, and when nodded at, asked, “Does it work on any man, Tsunade-sama? I mean to say, will it work on a man who's married?”

 

“Single, dating, engaged, or married, it will work on them,” Tsunade told her. “The call is very powerful, it seems to leak from their pores, through their voice, and draws a man closer and closer with each touch or word that falls from their lips. It has been reported in Kaminari no Kuni, that is where the clan is settled, that some men will instantly fall to their knees once the woman has set sight on him, attracted to him since it will only work if the woman finds a man attractive. It has been reported that some men will instantly beg to go with them from the moment a simple word passes their lips.

 

“However, no one of the clan has ever traveled this far to find suitors. There are some rare cases when they will travel to Mizu no Kuni, but they usually remain within Kaminari no Kuni, or sometimes go to small towns just outside of their homeland. Never has one been seen this far, though there was a rumor that one of their clan tried to travel to Tsuchi no Kuni. It was rather shocking to find that one of them has stepped outside of their homeland and come this far, possibly farther, since we cannot be sure how many there are or how many suitors they already possess,” Tsunade stopped.

 

“Can a person break away from this stupid call?” Naruto asked. He did not like the sound of that, it sounded almost like the women of this clan enslaved people, or men at least. He didn't care that they rarely had a boy born into their clan; they had taken his friends. “Besides, how are you so sure that a member of this clan took Sasuke and Neji, huh?”

 

Tsunade grabbed the crumpled piece of paper at the edge of her desk, placed just to the side of her toppling tower of paperwork. She glared at the pile for a moment, muttered to herself, and then turned the piece of paper so they could see it. “The jounin who reported Uchiha Sasuke missing,” she stated, “was given this by a civilian who saw him with the young woman who probably found herself attracted to him, thus allowing the call to work on him. This symbol is the emblem of their clan, what all shinobi they train for Kumogakure wear when they arrive in the village—some are women who bring their suitors, others who have yet to come of age, and most are the men born into the clan.”

 

“So,” Sakura concluded, “they don't live in Kumogakure?”

 

“No, they are a very large clan that lives outside of the village, and when they believe the shinobi they train are ready, they send them to Kumogakure, since it is the main village within Kaminari no Kuni,” Tsunade said.

 

“You still haven't answered my first question, Tsunade-baa-chan,” Naruto growled. They shouldn't be standing there while Kakashi-sensei read his perverted book, they should be searching for Sasuke already. Yet he knew that they would need as much information as they could possibly get on these women, especially if there was more than one. If what Tsunade said was true, he had no doubt that it wasn't, these women were most likely shinobi as well, so they might try to keep Sasuke with them—Neji too—instead of releasing him if they ever found them.

 

“The call is strong, but there have been cases reported of when men with strong connections are confronted by their family, friends, lovers, or wives and manage to break free of the call. In those cases it is stated that the kekkei genkai will, without a doubt, reappear within the female the male broke away from and they will search for a new suitor. However, they must be very strong connections,” Tsunade sighed. “I do not know, with how aloof those two seemed, if their connection to anyone in this village would bring them back.”

 

“We have to try, Tsunade-sama,” Sakura said. “We can't just let them take Sasuke,” quickly, a small blush forming on her cheeks for forgetting about him, she added, “or Neji.”

 

“Yeah,” Naruto nodded. “I can bring back Sasuke, and… and I bet that Hinata would be able to bring back Neji!”

 

“Though your intentions are good, there's one problem,” Tsunade said.

 

“What is it?” they asked together.

 

“We don't know where they are,” Tsunade replied, placing her head into her hand.

 

OoO

 

“Forever and ever,” a voice whispered into her ear. She smiled, leaning further into him as the other two flanked her sides, one rubbing soothing circles on her thigh while the other simply stared at her with his stunning eyes.

 

“If you wish it,” she said softly. “I will never leave you, no matter where you wish to stay. I am yours and you are mine, as long as you wish it.” She did not want to tie them down if they did not wish to be tied to her. She knew that her call, the call that had sunk into their blood, their souls, would whisper softly to them that that was what they wanted, but she knew that they, the person inside, may not want that. However, in the same instant, she knew that Kikyo would have told her to drive those thoughts from her mind, since the men belonged to them and they belonged to the men they'd chosen.

 

“Always,” another stated, and she turned to look into the eyes that she'd first noticed when she'd set sight on him. “I will always wish that.”

 

“I will always want that,” the one behind her said.

 

“I would wish for nothing else,” the final one said, still rubbing gently at her thigh.

 

The sound of crunching leaves drew their attention to Kikyo, now standing at the edge of the clearing, her suitors standing behind her. She was tugging at the cloak of her blonde haired suitor, since he couldn't seem to look at anything but her, while the others followed closely to her. It was natural; they wished to insure that Kikyo did not look for attention, affection, or love anywhere else, so they stayed close to her no matter where she went. When she came close enough, she pointed to the ground, and stated, “Deidara, will you sit here for the time being?”

 

“Of course, un,” the blonde replied. He sat instantly, his hand moving into the pouch at his side, no doubt allowing the mouths in his palms to nibble at the clay there. He looked about, small clay birds in his other hand, almost as if he was ready for anyone to jump out at any moment. It seemed that he was ready and able to protect the woman he'd been called to, and the others proved the same thing as they knelt near his side.

 

Kikyo nodded to her other two suitors did the same, before turning her attention to her sibling. “I went into the village you obtained two of your suitors today, Kagome.”

 

Her suitors paid Kikyo no attention, simply returning to what they had been doing before. A soft pair of lips began to caress her neck, while she stared at her elder. “Did you?” she asked.

 

“Yes,” Kikyo nodded. “It would seem that they have found out we are here. Since we have obtained the suitors we wish for, I found their efforts amusing, but it appears that they have placed a kunoichi with every male in the village, or at least a woman. It is because of this, and the few rumors that I heard, that I do not think it wise that you return to that village again. We should return home to Kaminari no Kuni.”

 

“I see,” Kagome frowned. She had wanted to allow her suitors the right to decide if they wished to stay with her—no matter how much she was sure it would piss Kikyo off. However, she was sure that the rumors Kikyo had heard were not promising, most probably involved hanging, from the tone of her voice. “If that is what you wish, Kikyo-nee-san. I will return to Kaminari no Kuni with you.”

 

“Good,” Kikyo stated, dipping her head a bit. “We will leave at first light tomorrow. Make sure that you're ready by then.”

 

“Of course,” Kagome replied.

 

Kikyo smiled in satisfaction, and then turned her attention back to her suitors. “Come, Deidara; Inuyasha; Kabuto.” Her three suitors stood, each returning to her side, before she walked away. She was positive that her younger sibling would not try something reckless—though, she often did. They would return home, and find out whether or not the new genetics would increase the chances of boys born into the clan. Hopefully the results were good, since she had sensed that the suitors they had chosen were strong of will and of strength, no doubt having fought the call while they were falling into it.

 

Kagome watched her go, and then frowned slightly. She leaned further into the arms wrapped tightly around her waist, tilting her head slightly as her pale-eyed suitor worked her neck with his mouth. A small moan escaped her mouth when her suitor simply staring at her leaned over to join him, his tongue caressing her jaw and then moving to lightly nibble at her collarbone. Her third suitor, the youngest of the males, stared for a moment, before his grip tightened on her thigh and he leaned forward in order to begin drawing simple designs on her currently bare stomach using his own talented tongue.

 

After a moment he pulled away, and whispered softly into her ear, “You are upset.”

 

Another small moan escaped her throat, as she tried to completely lose herself in his warmth. Her tiny hand found a home in the onyx colored hair of her final suitor, tugging him a bit closer as he moved lower and lower, only to move away from the edge of her shorts at the last moment. “Do not worry for me, Neji. We will return to Kaminari no Kuni in a little over a weeks travel and then my spirits will rise once more.”

 

“I do not like you upset,” Neji muttered, before beginning to suckle lightly on the skin just behind her ear. He stopped for only a moment, tightening his hold on her waist, as he stated, “I wish to see you always happy and at peace.”

 

“With you,” Kagome said softly, “—with you all, I will always be happy and at peace. As long as you are with me, I will never be sad again, that I promise you.”

 

His slow torture stopped for a moment, as he turned his smothering eyes up to stare into her own. “Then I will never leave your side,” he declared. He raised himself so that he was straddling her hips, and paid little attention to the other two males touching her flesh. His eyes flashed, “I never wish to see you sad; never.”

 

“Sasuke,” she whispered. She did not stop him when he leaned forward, softly capturing her lips in a loving caress. His mouth burned its way across her own, yet softly patted the flames down until she was floating in the calm and caring aura he radiated for her. Her hand raised to cup the side of his face, while she dug her nails into Neji's arm. She was happy to relive the fire he seemed to create, allowing her to walk among the flames as long as she held tightly to his hand. She was happy, simply because he was there—because they were all there.

 

Sasuke quickly swallowed a soft groan as he devoured her, his tongue sweeping greedily into her warmth as he focused his attention onto her. Kagome was very willing to swim in the passion that he built, and allowed him to swallow another gasp when a pair of callused hands began to lightly trail over the inside of her thighs. Neji's mouth was relentless, continuing to scorch a path along her neck, his arms holding her possessively against his body, so she knew instantly who was teasing her in such a way. However, the knowledge did not matter to her much as she was swept away by them, ready to let her suitors have their sinful way with her if they so wished it.

 

OoO

 

“Have you found anything?” she demanded. This search had gotten Shizune from continuously bringing her paperwork to fill out, but Tsunade was beginning to find it even more tiring than endless hours signing her name. Or anything else she had to sign, check, or simply read in order to make sure that she wasn't starting a war. The woman who had taken Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke was very good at escaping detection. In fact, if they did not find anything soon, she would call the search off and send word to the clan that she wished for the woman to return with her suitors, stating their names, in hopes that she would return with her shinobi. At least having her in the village, if she had all her suitors, would be better than losing two of her finest.

 

Even if all males she gave birth to would become loyal to Kumogakure someday.

 

“Nothing yet, Hokage-sama,” the chuunin sighed. “However, Uzumaki-san and Haruno-san are making sure that nothing is left untouched. We are searching as far and as fast as we can at the moment, and if the woman has not stepped outside of Hi no Kuni she will be found.”

 

“Good,” Tsunade frowned in disappointment. “Just remember to tell Naruto that should he find her, he is not to attack her. He might not understand it, but Sasuke and Neji will go after him should he prove to be a threat to her. I want her brought to m—”

 

The chuunin pushed one hand to her ear, and then nodded once. “I understand.” Afterward, she let her hand fall to her side, and glanced back up at the Hokage. “Forgive me, Hokage-sama, I was merely being informed that Uzumaki-san seems to have found something and the rest of the squad is in hot pursuit of him.”

 

“Tell them to keep you posted, and report to me whatever it is that Naruto finds,” Tsunade ordered.

 

The chuunin nodded and did so. “Will there be anything else, Hokage-sama?”

 

“Yes,” Tsunade said. “Take a seat, it seems that you'll be staying here until something important is revealed.”

 

“Ah,” the chuunin blinked, “of course, Hokage-sama.” She took the seat in front of the Hokage desk, keeping herself ready should she get another report from her fellow chuunin following Uzumaki Naruto.

 

“Now, Chiasa, would you like something to drink?”

 

Chiasa blinked, and shook her head. “No, Hokage-sama, I am fine.”

 

“Too bad,” Tsunade muttered, “I would. Shizune!”

 

OoO

 

Naruto leapt from his perch, and landed on the grass in a large field. His eyes shifted upward, catching sight of them as he shouted, “Sasuke!” He pumped chakra into his feet, his legs beginning to work as he raced forward, intent on stopping them before they managed to get away.

 

“Neji-nii-san,” came a much softer voice behind him.

 

However, Naruto did not stop as he reached the bottom of the hill they stood on, both males flanking the woman's sides. She had turned toward them, and Naruto's eyes widened when he saw her standing there in the morning sunlight—it was quite obvious why Sasuke and Neji had allowed themselves to fall into her call, as Tsunade had said. Her very skin seemed to glow, and though it was most likely from the sun, it gave her an eternal look as she frowned a bit at him. Her hair cascaded down her back in waves, its black color shining with hues of orange and red. He could not tell her eye color, but even from the distance he could tell that they were dark and most likely beautiful.

 

“Sasuke!” he yelled again. “What the hell are you doing, Sasuke-teme? You can't leave just because some woman's used her kekkei genkai on you!”

 

Sasuke seemed to snort, but did not reply to him. The woman at his side placed her hand onto his arm, a deep frown on her lips as she stepped closer to him. Then, Sasuke finally looked down at her, and replied, “I know what I'm doing, dobe. I know what I feel, and I know what I want. You're not going to stop me.”

 

Hinata came to a stop at his side. “Neji-nii-san, a-are you going t-to just leave e-everything that you've ever c-cared about behind?” her voice was not very loud or demanding, but she could tell that her cousin had heard her words. Her activated Byakugan allowed her to clearly see him glaring heatedly at Naruto, before his hard gaze turned to her. She had never seen him glare at her in such a way, not even when they had fought each other years ago during the chuunin preliminaries. It was not just his gaze, however, it was his stance, too. The very way he stood told her everything, and she knew at that moment that he would defend the woman between him and Sasuke should they attack her.

 

Another woman appeared not far away from them, and Hinata turned to look at her. She wore a red and black outfit that would easily allow her to move in battle, while her hair was pulled back out of her face using a single white strip of cloth. Her looks, though, were strikingly similar to the original woman. However, it was the three men who took to her sides that caused her eyes to widen as she began to speak.

 

“Kagome, we are wasting daylight.” The woman turned toward them. “We will return home, not engage in a pointless battle with these shinobi. Tell your suitors to move out, instead of conversing with them.”

 

The first woman nodded, gripping Sasuke's arm as her other hand grabbed ahold of Neji's. “Yes, Kikyo-nee-san.” She looked up into Sasuke's face and then pulled at his sleeve. “Come, Sasuke. We must begin to travel back to Kaminari no Kuni if we hope to be there as quickly as possible.”

 

Sasuke glanced over them once, and then turned to leave with the woman at his side. Neji did not need any prompting as he tugged at her hand, causing her to release Sasuke's arm and fall into his side. The Uchiha then moved closer to her, his hand reaching out to settle on the small of her back to help lead her away. The three of them began to walk away, the unidentified woman speaking for a moment with the man named Inuyasha at her side, before she and her suitors turned to go as well.

 

“N-Naruto,” Hinata whispered.

 

Naruto, who had been ready to spring into action, turned to ask, “What is it, Hinata?”

 

“The o-other w-woman h-h-has,” Hinata blushed, “K-Kabuto an-and t-the Akatsuki member D-Deidara a-as h-her s-s-suitors.”

 

“Kabuto and Deidara?” Naruto muttered. “Don't go after that woman, got it. I'll remember that, thanks, Hinata.”

 

“Y-you're w-welcome, Naruto,” Hinata replied.

 

Sakura burst into the clearing the moment that Naruto began to rush forward once more. Her eyes widened, “Naruto, no!” Her old teammate did not stop, however, and she allowed herself to curse repeatedly at him inside of her head.

 

“I-is some-something wrong, Sakura?” Hinata asked.

 

“I was just told by Kazuhiko that Tsunade-sama said not to engage the woman who took Sasuke and Neji. We are to try and get them back and if we can't break them from the call, we're supposed to ask her to speak with Tsunade-sama,” Sakura's heart clenched at the thought of being unable to break Sasuke from his siren call induced love. “Tsunade-sama said that if that is the case she will try to convince the woman to stay in the village, instead of losing both Sasuke and Neji to their clan and possibly Kumogakure.”

 

“O-oh dear,” Hinata gasped. She looked back up toward the top of the hill, her Byakugan activating again as she watched Naruto reach the top and shout. However, her eyes widened when he placed his hands together, created shadow clones, and rushed forward in an attack formation with them.

 

“Naruto,” Sakura yelled. “Stop!”

 

Naruto did not stop, however, as he neared them. His clones went in two separate directions, planning to cut off their escape routes. However, he did not plan for a taller man to suddenly appear and disappear, cutting down his clones as if they weren't even there. He stopped ten feet away from the trios retreating forms, but the destruction of his clones alerted their presence of him, and they turned. He glanced up, and managed to stand his ground when he realized that both Sasuke and Neji were glaring at him with their doujutsus.

 

He did take a step back, though, when her final suitor appeared in front of them. “Itachi,” he gulped. The Uchiha who had massacred his own clan and tried to kidnap him with his Akatsuki partner long ago stood in front of the woman who'd taken his friend. Not only that, but Sasuke had not even turned to glare at his brother in some fashion—he did not even acknowledge him, declaring that he was going to kill him to avenge his family.

 

“Naruto,” Sasuke hissed. “Go home, Naruto.”

 

Turning his eyes to the younger Uchiha, Naruto shook his head in disbelief for a moment. “S-Sasuke that's…” he stopped. “Why are you…? You hate Itachi, how could you… stand by his side like this? O-or are you even Sasuke at all?”

 

Sasuke's red eyes turned to the elder Uchiha, and hardened just a bit, before he glanced at the woman standing at his side. “Forever and ever,” he said. “If I must, for Kagome, I will tolerate my brother and the Hyuuga, as long as I am able to stand by her side.” His eyes narrowed a bit more, as he turned back to Naruto, “As long as I may call her my own, I do not care about the minor issues.”

 

“Minor issues?” Naruto blinked. Then, his fist clenched at his side, and he yelled, “Who the hell are you? You're not Sasuke! You're not my friend!”

 

“Go home,” Neji pressed. “Take Hinata-sama and return to Konohagakure where you belong, Naruto. You are not needed here.”

 

Naruto took another step backward. “It—no, it's that kekkei genkai that's making you say this stuff, isn't it? Her call is making you say these things. You have to fight it! You can't just leave Konohagakure like this!”

 

“We're not being controlled, Naruto,” Neji frowned, his glare becoming a bit harder. “We know perfectly well about Kagome's kekkei genkai, and though the call drew us together it is not what is keeping us together. What we feel—what we are destined to feel at this moment, is what is doing that.”

 

Naruto turned his head when Sakura and Hinata slid to a stop at his sides. He could tell that the others within their squad were behind them, but he watched as the two girls stiffened at the sight of Itachi, before the male stepped to the side in order to allow them to see the woman named Kagome. Then, he watched as Sakura took a step forward, her eyes trained on Sasuke—his heart clenched a bit, since his mind instantly went to how close they had been getting before Sasuke returned.

 

“Neji-nii-san,” Hinata said, having heard his words, “p-please reconsider.”

 

Sakura took another step forward, nearly yelling, “Sasuke, please!” She knew that her voice was desperate, but she did not care, she wanted him to return to the village unattached. She knew what she felt, and though she had often thought that perhaps it had gone further than what she had originally believed—to a more obsessive level—she did not care at this moment. That woman standing at Sasuke's side had taken him from her, and she wanted him back.

 

“Hinata-sama,” Neji sighed. “I know what I feel, and not even you will stop me from going wherever it is that I am destined to be. Not even you will remove me from her side.”

 

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but they flickered a bit. He felt Kagome's hand grip his arm once more, and turned to look down at her. He knew what he felt, but a piece of his heart screamed that he should stay with his friends. Yes, he felt something he had not felt since his brother killed their clan, but his friends had stood by his side through even the dark times. But, in the same instance, he felt that she would, too, if there were any while she radiated such a beautiful light.

 

“Sasuke,” Kagome muttered, her eyes turning sad. She could feel him pulling away from her mentally, and though she told herself that she should allow him to go, she did not want to. A part of her simply could not part with him, because she felt like losing him would be like tearing her heart out. “Sasuke, don't go.”

 

Sasuke looked down at her, feeling himself being pulled in two directions.

 

Kagome's other hand raised and grabbed the front of her shirt where her heart lay. “Sasuke, you're… you're hurting me,” she whispered. Tears gathered in her eyes, as she stared up at him. “I… I… I don't want you t-to go, but I feel… I feel as if I'm being selfish by keeping you.”

 

“Sasuke,” Sakura said again, “you have to return to the village! You can't do this!”

 

Kagome's eyes flickered, and she glanced at the elder Uchiha. “Itachi,” she whispered.

 

Itachi's eyes narrowed, feeling her pain, as he allowed himself to lock eyes with the pink-haired girl. However, as his eyes began to shift the jinchuuriki of Kyuubi shoved her to the ground, while the Hyuuga quickly averted her eyes. The others were not so lucky, as he muttered, “Tsukiyomi.” Within seconds screams filled his ears, his torture effective enough to knock them out as soon as he released them.

 

Sasuke looked at his brother, his eyes narrowing just a bit, but understanding why he had done it. Then, he glanced back down at Kagome as she shifted away from him and sank into Neji's side, the Hyuuga wrapping his arms around her in protection. “I don't want to hurt you,” he stated. “I never want to hurt you, Kagome.”

 

Neji snorted, “Then why are you doing so, Uchiha?”

 

“Shut up, Hyuuga,” Sasuke hissed. He felt himself push further away from her, and saw the pain flicker across her face as her knuckles tightened to the point that they turned white. He stepped closer to her, concern tugging at his heart as he stared into her eyes, but felt the need to glance back at his friends. He did not know why, but seeing them both wanting him to stay made him remember when he had returned from Otogakure and what he had felt being back with them.

 

The happiness was nearly the same, but it did not have the love that she was offering.

 

Neji glared at the Uchiha hurting the woman leaning into him, Sasuke pulling away from her making her pain greater. He lifted a hand and cupped her chin, before capturing her lips in hopes that it would help her through it. However, it seemed that the Uchiha was intent on continuing her pain, and she whimpered into his lips, causing him to pull away softly. He did not want to add to her pain, not when he could feel it nearly as well as she could.

 

Naruto and Sakura rose to their feet. Naruto glanced up, realizing that Sasuke seemed to be pulling away from the siren call. He nearly smiled, until he noticed how much pain the woman he was pulling away from seemed to be in. He did not want to feel pity for her, she had taken his friend in the first place, but she looked as if someone was torturing her, ripping her heart out of her chest as slowly as they could in order to kill her. He did not want anyone to go through that pain, no matter what they had done. “What's happening to her? Tsunade-baa-chan never said this would happen.”

 

The other woman appeared back in the trees, stating clearly, “It is what happens to all women of our clan who have suitors which pull away from them.” She glared at them, “It is not well known, for it can kill a woman if her connection—if her heart—has become greater than simply the call.”

 

Naruto's mouth fell open. “W-what does that mean?”

 

“She loves him,” the woman stated clearly. “It is not forbidden, but she was foolish to have allowed herself to slip into that emotion.”

 

Sakura's eyes widened, “Sasuke's k-killing her?”

 

“Yes,” she replied. “He is killing my sister.”

 

Anger gripped her when she heard the voice of the woman who had began to pull the younger Uchiha away from her. The part of her that did not wish to lose him snarled and hissed, until she was glaring, and felt herself stumble away from Neji. The Hyuuga allowed her to go, knowing what she was doing, before she allowed the anger to grip her completely. She would not allow another to take Sasuke away from her, not when she had promised him forever, and he had told her he wanted nothing else.

 

Almost instantly she appeared before her, and Sakura gasped at the small woman's speed. However, another escaped her throat, along with a small whimper as strong, sure fingers gripped her chin. She heard Naruto shout her name, but saw nothing but the deep, angry blue eyes of the woman lifting her from the ground. She heard nothing but the soft exhale that the woman gave, and felt nothing but the silver mist entering her lungs.

 

Naruto shouted, “Sakura!” when his female teammate began to convulse in the woman's hand. Then, Kagome dropped her, allowing Sakura's twitching form to sink heavily her side as she coughed and whimpered. He turned angry eyes to the woman who had taken his friends and hurt Sakura, before shouting, “What did you do to her?”

 

“I will not lose him,” she whimpered. “I can't. I love him so much.”

 

Naruto's eyes hardened a bit more, as he continued, “You've only been around him for a few days! You can't love him as much as you claim, it's not possible!”

 

“Then you have never been in love,” Kagome said, turning her tear-streaked face to the other shinobi. “My connection with Sasuke is unlike anything you have ever felt, for I do love him. I love him as much as I love Neji, and as much as I love Itachi. And that I cannot change.” Her heart clenched again, as she felt Sasuke pull a little more away from her at seeing the pain of his friend.

 

Naruto did not think, about allowed his hands to do as they willed on their own. Then, he raised his hand, the swirling attack taking form as he moved subconsciously. “Rasengan!” he shouted, rushing at the woman who had done so much that indirectly hurt him. She did not move, which made it easy for a direct attack.

 

“Chidori!”

 

Naruto gasp as the attack hit him directly in his side, his chakra flattering as he was thrown through the air. He hit the ground hard, rolling over and over, as he tried to grasp his side in order to protect the brunt flesh. He knew that the attack had not been fully charged, otherwise he would be dead—in fact, he knew from the burn that there had been barely any force put behind the attack. It had been a warning, nothing more. He was glad, however, when he finally stopped, his back hitting a tree.

 

As he went to stand, his knees wobbled underneath him, and he saw that Sasuke was standing at Kagome's side, gazing down at her, and searching for wounds. She was staring up at him happily, a bright smile on her lips, while she reached up to touch his face. Naruto coughed, and watched as Sasuke kissed her forcefully, pulling the woman into his arms as he did so. “Damn it,” Naruto cursed, touching the wound on his side, as he watched his friend tenderly rub the woman's back and cup the back of her neck.

 

After a moment, Sasuke pulled away from her. Naruto, even from the new distance between them, as he felt Hinata—he wasn't sure where she had come from—touch his wound, heard Sasuke's words. He had said, “Forever and ever, Kagome. As you are mine, I am yours.”

 

Hinata frowned, “N-Naruto, you s-shouldn't s-stand up.”

 

“Sasuke,” Naruto tried to shout.

 

Itachi appeared at Kagome's side, and pulled her away from his younger brother. She fell instantly into his arms, gripping the cloak he still wore in a grip so tight that he knew she was still slightly hurting from Sasuke nearly breaking her call. However, she smiled up at him, and buried her head into his neck as he watched his brother turn toward his friend. It was obvious what his brother had chosen, and he would allow it if Kagome so wished it—just as he would allow the Hyuuga that had appeared on her other side to stay if she wished it. She did, so he would not try to tear her light away from their sight.

 

“Naruto,” Sasuke said. “You are my friend, Naruto. As my friend you should support what I wish for, not try to tear it away from me. However, here you stand.”

 

“Sasuke, you can't,” Naruto coughed again, “just leave the village. You can't abandon us.”

 

“I'm not abandoning you,” Sasuke stated, “I'm simply following my heart.”

 

Naruto closed his eyes.

 

“Tell the Hokage that for now we will return to Kaminari no Kuni,” Sasuke continued, “and if Kagome so wishes it, we may return one day.”

 

“Sasuke.”

 

He turned, gazing at the woman who had captured him so thoroughly.

 

“Sasuke, I would like to speak with your Hokage,” Kagome said. “We will stay if we are able.”

 

The other woman, silent until now, lifted an eyebrow. “You are going to stay in Konohagakure, Kagome?” she asked.

 

“I am, Kikyo-nee-san,” Kagome said. She turned her eyes toward her; “I will send word to the clan if there is any change in our clan's problem, but you will tell them what I will.”

 

Kikyo's eyes narrowed, “The elders will not approve.”

 

“It is time for a change, Kikyo,” Kagome frowned. “I cannot separate myself from my suitors, and I cannot separate them from their friends and family. I will stay, as some of our clan have decided to do in other villages within Mizu no Kuni and those within Kaminari no Kuni. However, even if they hunt me, I will not send my sons to become shinobi for a village that was once at war with my new home. Please, understand my wishes.”

 

Kikyo glared, “I will inform them, but I do not like it.” Kikyo turned to her suitors within the trees and tilted her head in a clear sign that they were departing. Then, she disappeared into the foliage, anger radiating from her body as she thought about what her blood sibling was doing. The fact that she had thrown away the rules of their family for love was ridiculous.

 

Naruto's eyes widened, as he saw Sakura shift and rise to her side. “You're staying?” he asked.

 

“If your Hokage will allow it,” Kagome said.

 

Naruto's heart instantly opened to the person who would most likely become a new friend to him, happy to know she was not separating him from his friends. He smiled a bit, holding his side even after Hinata healed him, as he said, “I'm sure Tsunade-baa-chan will allow it. After all, your call's gone, right?”

 

Kagome laughed, “Yes, I have my three suitors. The call has dissipated. It holds strongly to those that I love, and will keep them by my side forever.”

 

Itachi, Neji, and Sasuke each softly stated, “Yes, forever.”

 

--Fin

 

OoO

 

KibaSin: I hope you enjoyed. This came to me when I was trying to type up something else a while back, but I hadn't got the time to post it onto mediaminer.org, but I've finally managed. And I hope I didn't put it too far down on the rating scale, since I was originally going to put it was T but then thought that it really didn't fit that, but wasn't A, so I went with Pre-teen.

 

Kiba

 

OoO

 

Dictionary—

 

Hi no Kuni - The Land of Fire

Kaminari no Kuni - The Land of Lightning

Tsuchi no Kuni - The Land of Earth

Mizu no Kuni - The Land of Water

Kumogakure (no Sato) - The Village Hidden in the Clouds

Hokage - Fire shadow

Doujutsu - Eye technique

Jinchuuriki - Human sacrifice

Nee-san - Older sister

Nii-san - Older brother

Baa-chan - Granny

-Sama - Lord or Lady; honorific used for a person of higher status