Connections by sarhea
Options and Choice (Evolution)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and company or InuYasha and company, I’m just playing with the characters.
AN: Priestess Skye’s challenge Dec 20, Prompt ‘Evolution’, Min 800, Actual 2200.
AN: The hanyous/youkais from InuYasha are not youkais/bijuus in this cross; they have kekkai genkais (bloodline limits) that mimic their youkai powers.
Summary: A conversation between a particular shinobi and our favourite couple.
AN: After Death and Life (Ink). Before Right Circumstances (Heartless). Minor edits Jan 4 to fit what I have in mind
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...ooO Connections: Options and Choice (Evolution) Ooo...
Nishimato Hikari breathed deeply savouring the aroma of the fresh jasmine flavoured white tea. She did not allow impatience to taint the experience, the tranquil moment.
“Hikari-sama. There is a… gentleman who wishes to speak to you.”
Yellow gold eyes glanced up briefly to catch the brown eyes of the tea house proprietor.
“Did he give a name?”
“Iie. But he looks like a shinobi from the Eastern Countries. Around your age with almost black grey hair and eyes. A bit pale though.”
“Ahh. I am expecting him Fuji-san. Please send him in. And bring a tray of spiced tea and treats.”
“As you wish.”
The owner must have met an employee on the way out because a few minutes later a young teenage girl arrived with a full tray and left after clearing away the tools used to prepare the jasmine tea.
Hikari busied herself with preparing two dishes of flavoured tea. After a few seconds thought she spiked one with some extra flavourings: ginger and cloves to boost the immune system.
She did not turn when her instincts warned her of the intruder though her physical senses caught nothing. She spoke calmly.
“Please sit down and drink Itachi. I prepared it myself.”
She looked up into the pale triangular visage of a man she had known as a teen once upon a time. He was definitely sick. Probably the deteriorating side-effects of using the Mangekyou. Hikari was not a healer like her mother but she knew enough for rough field diagnosis. His optical organs were deteriorating given the faint squint he wore to study the environment.
He did not speak, merely sipped the tea. Hikari was comfortable with the silence. Time was on her side. If anyone was going to break the silence it would be Itachi.
And he did.
“I wish to ask a boon from the Nishimatos.”
She eyed him warily. “I cannot promise anything Itachi.”
He smiled; a faint wistful expression. “It will not be anything you cannot give Hikari.”
She raised a slim dark brow. “Oh really? What do you want Itachi?”
“I want you to kill me and destroy my body.”
The slim lithe body clad in a forest green yukata marked with crimson poppy petals stiffened. Steady hands put the porcelain dish down with a faint clink.
“Excuse me?” Hikari’s voice rose into a furious growl. “If you want to commit suicide go find a hunter-nin Itachi! I’m not going to kill you!”
“Even if I attack you?” Itachi inquired in a whimsical tone.
She glared at the slightly older man. “Even then! I am more than able to give you a thorough thrashing and knock you out. Then I’ll take you to the Stronghold and let Okaa-san straighten you out!”
Itachi winced. “Why don’t we just skip the fighting and go straight to the Stronghold?”
Hikari sniffed. “That sounds fine to me. We’ll leave after you finish your tea.”
...ooOoo...
Nishimato Kagome sipped her ginger tea slowly. Every pregnancy she was horribly sick the first two months. The household had developed the habit of preparing and serving various liquids like teas, tisanes, juices, and soups every few hours, to keep her hydrated and healthy. Ginger tea had become a particular favourite even when she wasn’t carrying.
She put her cup down and ate a stick of dango. It was a favourite of Itachi and when the household saw who was accompanying the eldest daughter of the Western Lord the Head Cook had altered the menu accordingly.
“You were right Kagome-san. Change cannot be forced. It must come from within. I have failed.”
Kagome sighed as she studied the weary looking young man kneeling across from her. Her eldest living daughter opened her mouth to protest before shutting it firmly. Kagome smiled internally. Hikari was learning.
“And just how have you failed Itachi-kun?”
The Konoha nuke-nin inhaled deeply before he began speaking, unloading his burden upon the two women he had chosen to confide in.
The Uchiha Clan was plotting treason, a coup d’etat when Konoha had just started recovering and healing from the Kyuubi destruction. Orders from the Advisors reluctantly sanctioned by the Sandaime, to wipe out the clan as it was impossible to identify who was truly innocent. Itachi had reluctantly agreed if and only if his younger brother, Sasuke, was allowed to live and was protected.
The subsequent mission to infiltrate Akatsuki and leak information to Konoha’s spymaster, the Gama Sannin Jiraiya. His attempts to delay and protect the Kyuubi jinchuuriki until he was reassigned to collect the other jinchuurikis.
His choice to use Tsukiyomi to keep Sasuke from following and looking deeper. The Hebi-Sannin Orochimaru marking Sasuke with the Curse Seal. Sasuke’s subsequent defection and actions, his quest for power; to kill Itachi and take revenge for the Uchiha clan.
The stalemate in Konoha; the clash between the civilian and rigid elder generation, who feared the Kyuubi, and the younger one who fought beside Uzumaki Naruto and supported his quest to be Hokage.
At some point in time the three were joined by a fourth, a silver haired gold eyed male dressed in white with red accents.
Nishimato Sesshoumaru silently prepared a dish of tea for himself and sipped. He listened and considered the actions, outcomes, and implications. He waited for his wife and mate to speak, because it was her counsel that the Uchiha had sought.
Kagome swallowed the last bit of dango on her stick and set the skewer aside to take a swallow of ginger tea to organize her thoughts. Her heart ached for the young man before her. He had struggled with difficult choices and few options to do the Right thing, Hurt the fewest number of people. And he learnt something parents all over the world learnt from hard experience: you can’t force anyone to do anything, and you can’t force people to change for the better or to make good choices.
“What should I do Kagome-san? When Sandaime died most of my support in Konoha vanished. Jiraiya-sama doesn’t know I am his informant and with Sandaime-sama gone there is no one who will back my claim. Godaime-sama has not indicated she knows. I doubt Sarutobi-sama would have left any records for something as delicate as this. The circumstances have changed so much… The situation has evolved out of control.”
Kagome laughed delicately. “Itachi-kun, your first mistake was expecting circumstances to Not change. Life is change; every moment someone makes a choice that closes some doors and opens others. Life is a one way street.” She shook her head with a bemused disappointed expression. “First, you should have planned for Sarutobi’s death. He was a tired Old man Itachi. Second, you should have refused the Akatsuki infiltration mission. If you needed a sanctuary from hunter-nins you should have come to us.”
Dark grey eyes widened. “But your alliance--.”
“There is no formal alliance with Konoha.” Sesshoumaru spoke smoothly. “No extradition treaties or mutual defence agreements. Yama no Kuni stands alone. We will not invade other lands and anyone who dares to infiltrate our territory Will pay a heavy price just as they have in centuries past. The Cardinal Lords and the Daimyo will not tolerate any infringement upon the sovereignty of Yama no Kuni.” The Western Lord’s voice was absolute and steely.
Itachi bowed his head.
“What do you suggest Kagome-san?”
Kagome picked up a stick of dango and chewed on a bite thoughtfully before answering. “I believe it is time for Uchiha Itachi to die. Very publicly.” Eyes widened but no one spoke. Kagome grinned then expanded on her idea. “If Sasuke believes he has killed you all he chooses to do from then on falls upon his own head. He has ‘avenged’ his clan.” Brown eyes were hard and implacable. “If he persists in his foolishness he will eventually be cut down by someone stronger. If he is a real threat Sesshoumaru will send someone to take care of him.” She caught the shinobi’s eyes. “Can you live with that Itachi-kun?”
Itachi’s breath caught. For so long he had pinned his hopes and dreams on his younger brother; believing that he would be the start of a new vibrant Uchiha clan and fresh views. He had shielded Sasuke, injured him to keep him out of harms way, hurt him to protect him.
“I will have to learn to live with it.”
Kagome nodded. “Good. Now then, do you have any ideas about what you want to do After?”
That knocked the genius for a loop. “No.” He admitted.
The Nishimato matriarch eyed him intently. “You will need a complete healing and recovery. Especially from the damage of the fight. Three to six months at least. I would suggest studying to pass time and to build a cover. Do you have any hobbies? Or particular interests? Something Not shinobi related.”
Itachi blinked. “Not really.”
Kagome sighed, an exasperated sound. “Mah-mah! Shinobi clans are so narrow minded! What did they expect you to do if you were maimed? Or survived to a retirement age?”
“Take over the clan.” Itachi answered honestly.
Kagome glanced at Sesshoumaru who spoke.
“Itachi-san, I am the Nishimato Clan Head, Western Lord of Yama no Kuni, General and Advisor to my sire the Daimyo.” Gold eyes shimmered when they glanced at his wife before returning to the Uchiha. “I am also a mate, a husband, and father. I am also a son, brother and uncle. I test my children on history, politics and warfare. I enjoy hunting all sorts of prey and tracking. I practice calligraphy, do ink paintings and sketches and watercolours. I have recently started sculpting.” Gold eyes were steady. “To be only a shinobi and Clan Head is to limit your potential growth as a human being.”
Itachi hesitated. Sesshoumaru had a point. Stagnation was death in the shinobi world. That was one of the main reasons why he had agreed to carry out the execution orders. But still he hesitated. He had been Akatsuki for so long… the charade had consumed him. He wasn’t sure if he could learn to be anything else.
He glanced around at the faces before him. The stoic calm face of Sesshoumaru who reminded Itachi of Uchiha Fugate and Hyuuga Hiashi though underneath this man was fiercely protective of his children and subordinates; he would not play games without wagering his own life. The soothing understanding expression of Kagome, the woman who he wished was his own mother; she would fight anyone including shinobis, bijuus, and Kamis if they dared to threaten her family and those she cared for. The encouraging bright smiles from Hikari, the first one who saw straight into the heart of him and confronted him on it; she had lost her own twin as a child but she refused to let it break her; instead she used the grief and anger to fuel her own growth, her evolution into this beautiful brilliant warrior who was a more than even match for any S-class shinobi.
For so long he had been pigeon holed into specific roles. He had been the eldest son, the heir, prodigy, the genius, the ANBU, the captain, the nuke-nin, the Akatsuki. But now he was being asked to choose something entirely different and unrelated to his career in killing. If he chose to he could learn to create art and beauty, lay foundations and build something lasting instead of destroying. He could be more than a shinobi and killer and pawn.
He made a choice and spoke.
“I’d like to learn. To create.”
Kagome smiled brilliantly. A smile mirrored on her daughter and to a lesser extent on her husband.
“Perfect. So let’s start planning your demise.” She cocked an inquiring brow. “Are you comfortable with an explosion? I’m thinking of something similar to a reinforced Bunshin daibakuha.”
Itachi frowned. “The Sharingan can pick out a bunshin. Even a kage bunshin.”
Kagome grinned. “Itachi Itachi Itachi… Stop thinking so linearly! Getting around the Sharingan, even the Mangekyou, is doable.” She smirked. “There are reasons why sane shinobis avoid fighting fuuin jutsu specialists on their own grounds you know.”
Itachi’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
Sesshoumaru snorted. “Uchiha Madara comes sniffing around Yama no Kuni every decade, looking for a way in, to infiltrate the Inner Circles and steal our secrets.” The Western Lord smiled, a terrifying expression to most. “He claimed responsibility for orchestrating an assassination attempt on my heir many years ago. He managed to kill Hikari’s twin and boasted about it. It is a pity he used a puppet-intermediary that time. Kagome would have killed him. Even so we believe it took him a while to recover from the beating. There was almost no activity for a few years. He must have been plotting and manipulating the Uchiha Clan Elders into a coup and the Konoha Council into ordering the massacre.”
Kagome nodded, her warm brown eyes unexpectedly hard.
“Trust us Itachi. We know he is alive and a very real threat. Uchiha Madara thrives on subterfuge and illusions. He clings to his hatred and enjoys making other people suffer. We won’t tolerate any Hidden Village politics messing our plans to make him pay. Preferably with his life.”
For the first time in a long while Itachi felt hope blossom; that eventually there would be an end to this nightmare.
...ooOoo...
The End.
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AN: This happens after Kag/Sess return from Konoha and before Naruto shows up for training. I never liked the bit about Sasuke killing Itachi in canon. Itachi has more potential for growth, for evolution.
AN: A minor edit point near the end to make it fit this developing evolving tale.
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