Loving My Killer

Disclaimer: I own nothing of or related to Inuyasha or Naruto.

~)*(~

Black hair fluttered in a faint breeze. Sharp brown eyes watched the silky strands fade into the mist around her, and they narrowed as she held out her arm, her hand vanishing. "Can't even see two feet ahead of me through this."

Of course, that could be from the energy flooding the air.

She stood still for a moment longer before casually drawing the katana at her waist. With a deft flick of her wrist her blade intercepted another, larger weapon with a metallic shriek. "Now that's not nice." Shock permeated the air around her, and a smirk crossed her lips. "Attacking a girl without at least giving her your name. Shameful."

She turned her head to catch her attacker's dark eyes, and she laughed when he darted away with a growl. This could be fun, depending, of course, on whether or not her new sparring partner would continue attacking her, or retreat.

The fog thickened, and a grin split her face. And here he comes again. Her katana rose again, catching the giant broadsword mere inches away from her head. "Of course, an explanation as to why the girl's being attacked in the first place would also be appreciated."

The bandaged arm holding the broadsword, now the only part of her opponent visible to her through the cloud, clenched. "Trying to play innocent?"

She laughed, pleased that he would play word games with her. "Me? Innocent? Far from it. I've killed more than I would like, making it impossible for such a ploy on my part. I would just like to know the reason behind this particular attack." She braced her arm and shoved, batting the sword away. "I don't recognize your weapon so we haven't crossed blades before. You're too refined in how you've gone about attacking me for you to be a simple bandit. Why confront me?"

The faint breeze caused by the movement of his sword blew away some of the fog, and she finally observed his face, or rather, what she could see of it. Black hair stuck up at an angle from his head, held in its rats-nest by a forehead protector with four squiggly lines engraved into it. The same kind of bandages that wrapped around his arm covered the bottom half of his face, but she could see the impressions of a scowl beneath them.

"Higurashi Kagome, traveler, I, Momochi Zabuza, am to assassinate you, by orders of the Mizukage." His gravelly voice surrounded her as he faded into the mist again.

Kagome blinked, bringing up her free hand to tap her chin. "Mizukage, ne? Hm…" Her brows furrowed, her lips fell into a frown. "Who is that again?"

A choked sound reached her ears, and she had to force herself not to laugh at him. Poor guy had no idea how ignorant of this world's ways she was. Of course, given his reaction, this Mizukage was someone important she had at one point snubbed somehow. But who could it have been? I've snubbed a lot of people in this world because of their arrogance…

The fog dissipated, and Kagome found herself staring at her incredulous opponent. "Who is the Mizukage? Have you been living in a hole your entire life?"

A brilliant grin appeared on her face, and Kagome's eyes sparkled with humor. "Hai!" It wasn't a lie, really. The well was technically a hole. "So who is she?"

"He!" Zabuza glared at her, hefting his sword, which Kagome could now fully see and relate to a butcher knife, to his shoulder. "Mizukage-sama is a male and one of the most powerful shinobi of all the nations."

Kagome chuckled, obviously not afraid in any way. "Is that right?" These people really didn't know what powerful meant, then, because none of men she'd run into over the past months could relate to that guy. They'd all probably collapse under the pressure of Sesshomaru's power. "Could you describe him, please? Just a biased judgment of his power isn't going to do anything for me."

Her grin remained in place, despite Zabuza's obvious shock and disdain for her. "It doesn't matter. Now die!"

Metal shrieked against metal as their blades clashed again, and Kagome's eyes narrowed, the humor in them only growing. "I'm sorry, but I can't die yet."

"Too bad, 'cause I'm going to kill you." Her eyes widened when he jumped back and began flashing his hands through various symbols. What the hell was that? She'd never seen anyone else do it—"Water Dragon Missile!"

Kagome jumped away, narrowly dodging the giant water jet that grew out of the lake behind him and flew at her. "That's new…" All her attention became centered on her opponent, and she twirled her katana around her wrist, testing her dexterity with the blade after not using it seriously for so long. "Looks like this could be interesting."

Even with the seriousness of the situation looming over her like the water dragon, Kagome couldn't keep a genuine smile from her face, something that quickly got on Zabuza's nerves. Perhaps she was wrong about the people of this world.

"You do have some power, after all."

And the battle began anew.

~)*(~

"Again, Zabu-kun?"

Kagome grinned at the snarl her question elicited from Zabuza. Really, she never got bored of teasing him. She "crossed paths" with him several times after their first encounter, which left them both with several bruises and cuts, but nothing fatal. No matter how many times they met like this, he was still so easy to rile. "How many times are you going to come and try to kill me?"

Zabuza glared fiercely through his bandages. "As many as it takes for you to die." Kagome rolled her eyes but didn't back down from his challenge in the least.

The battle was heated, and Kagome couldn't stop grinning through strike after strike against her blade sent her skidding backward. She couldn't recognize the energy that Zabuza and everyone like him secreted, but it was powerful when looked at right. And since I try not to run looking for a fight, it's nice to have someone I can count on to attack me first. She laughed, taunting him even more, and continued to remain just out of reach from his blows.

It wasn't until she realized he wasn't getting as riled as usual that she realized his plan.

From their last encounters, she knew to stay away from the water—he had far too much control over it, more than she had ever witnessed before in a human, and it was therefore a threat. But as he came at her with a particularly well-aimed slash, Kagome could only dodge onto a lake. Shit.

Her body hit the water, and Kagome let herself sink before kicking off the bottom. Damn, damn, damn. Her senses spread, searching for her opponent so she wouldn't be caught unaware at the surface. This was a stupid mistake that Sesshomaru would have gutted her for.

The blue of Zabuza's aura shown to her closed eyes, a brighter shade in the sea of dark blue that was the water. But he was… Aw, hell. Kagome immediately kicked her legs toward the shore. If she could just touch the ground, it would offer more safety than the open water, which Zabuza was standing on as if it were solid.

Just as Kagome's fingers brushed mud, the water around her churned violently. Her eyes snapped open in shock, and she released a silent scream into the liquid as she was pulled up and away.

"Not so confident now, are you?" Kagome glared at Zabuza from where he stood, arms crossed and smirking, mere feet from where she was encased in a water sphere, surprisingly able to breathe easily. "It's a new technique I learned from Kisame, the Water Prison."

"Very original." Her dry comment led to a narrowing of his eyes, and Zabuza reached for his sword. "Aw, you'd kill me like this? Dishonorably with no way of defending myself?" Kagome made her eyes as large as possible, in a pitiful attempt to make the "puppy-dog eyes" Shippo used on her so often.

He frowned. "You've been enough trouble for me, I don't have anymore time to waste on you." But he hesitated, and that was all Kagome needed.

Her pout morphed into a smirk, and her eyes glowed. It had been so long since she needed to use this power—this curse of hers, but she didn't mind this time. She was in a very dangerous situation, and desperate times called for desperate measures.

Light poured from her skin, pulsing and coiling around her. "Sorry, but I don't die that easily."

Kagome took great joy in hearing the curses Zabuza emitted as her power lashed out, ripping his "prison" to ribbons. For a moment, she hovered over the water, an ethereal being of light come down to the earth on a whim, and her opponent stared in what she could only recognize as awe. A sliver of satisfaction coursed through her at her power of this man's reactions—she hadn't had such control in months—and she almost felt bad for taking advantage of it.

Almost.

The light vanished, and Kagome fell towards him, her sword slicing through the air. Zabuza grunted as he blocked the attack with one of his own. But he never expected her flexibility as she pushed off Kubikiri Houchou and flipped to land on the shoreline.

Pausing, Kagome turned her head to him, finding him watching her again. Her clothes clung to her, obviously showing off the knives and other weapons hidden beneath the silk. Her wet bangs stuck to her forehead, dripping cool water onto her skin. The droplets trailed down her face, tracing her cheeks and lips before dipping onto her neck.

And his eyes followed them until they soaked into her neckline.

"Eyes on my weapon, Zabu-kun." She brought her sword up in a circle, cutting through his gaze, a smirk on her face. "We're not finished."

Zabuza scowled and charged her again.

~)*(~

Kagome breathed evenly, carefully gathering her miko powers into a ball in her soul and focusing it where it was needed. She could feel it working and would have let out a sigh of relief, but she couldn't risk losing the balance of her body as she was consumed in her mind.

It had been a mistake to underestimate that silver-haired pervert. She should know by now that anything with silver hair was deadly, probably dead sexy, and possibly annoying—after all, look at Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, and that one silver fox thief she ran into years ago. But that scarecrow didn't have much of an aura, just one flicker of demonic energy from his right eye, so she had become too confident, which was dumb considering her weekly bouts with Zabuza.

The air around her suddenly became chilled, and she grimaced, coming back to her body before she could finish what she wanted. Mist greeted her eyes, the telltale sign of her sparring partner. Merely think his name as an afterthought, and the devil will appear, oddly enough when I don't want him around. I should stop thinking.

"What can I do for you on this fine, formerly-sunny afternoon, Zabu-kun?" Kagome kept her voice light and teasing as always, but she knew he saw through it. After so many rendezvous' with each other, it was easy to see through her.

Zabuza appeared in front of her with his sword safe on his back, frowning, an action that only deepened when she smiled cheerily at him. Her arms were carefully folded over her chest, hiding the blood she knew he knew was there. His gaze sharpened dangerously, and Kagome kept smiling. If he wasn't going to ask, she wasn't going to tell—two could play the silent game; even if it wasn't really her style, Sesshomaru taught her well.

Minutes past easily, if awkwardly, and Kagome outright grinned when Zabuza caved first. "You're injured."

"And you're wearing bandages." He scowled even more fiercely behind his wrappings, and Kagome held in her laughter. She wouldn't give into his probing that easily. If she did, she may as well let him kill her already.

"Damn it, woman, what the hell?"

Brown eyes blinked, and her grin fell a little as Kagome got a good look at his eyes. Genuine concern hid deep within his dark depths. Oh… Kagome slowly lowered her arms, careful not to openly show her shock too much. Oh. His eyes zeroed in on her side. Oh, shit.

"Shit." For a moment, she thought she had voiced her thoughts aloud, but the deep, gravelly tone assured her that she hadn't. He knelt in front of her, just far enough away that they couldn't touch each other. "What happened?"

He sounded so firm, just like Sesshomaru would have, that she answered mostly on instinct, "A silver-haired scarecrow got the jump on me. I was apparently disrupting his mission," before she shut up completely. Information was dangerous, especially to her, and she wouldn't give out anymore freely. "So are we going to do our usual routine of beating each other black and blue, or do I get the day off?" She let her eyes get comically large, trying to detract from the seriousness of her latest stupidity.

Zabuza pursed his lips behind his bandages, and Kagome felt the brick that had settled in her internal organs at her second "oh" get even heavier. Perhaps there were now two bricks. "Fine. Nothing this time, but when I see you again, your life is mine."

And he vanished into the mist, which followed him mere moments afterwards.

Kagome let her hands completely fall, felt the grass, cool from the dew left by the fog, on her skin. The small sounds of animals, birds, rabbits, and whatever other small creatures wandered the forest floor, rose around her, drifting in and out of her ears and proving that he really had gone.

"Shit." Kagome fell back, purposely hitting her head harder than necessary on the ground behind her. "Damn it all to hell." The pain in her side was completely forgotten as she refought all her battles with Zabuza up to date, searching almost desperately for when the dynamic between them changed. When they started caring for each other.

The miko didn't bother sitting back up in the proper meditation pose to finish healing herself, instead sending a rush of power throughout her entire body that healed every sore muscle and bruise as well as the gash in her skin. It left her weak, but she was too confused, too upset to care.

"I can't believe I let it happen again…" Every one of her closest friends had at one point done harm to her, but she couldn't let Zabuza close to her. Couldn't let anyone from this world close to her. If she did…

"Goodbyes are painful." She stared up at the sky, watching the foliage dance in front of it. "I'm not staying in this world. I'm going back. I can't get close to anyone."

Even if she said that, why did that voice in the back of her head laugh and say "too late"?

~)*(~

"You are troubled by something, Zabuza-kun?" Dark eyes snapped up to the speaker, and Zabuza straightened his back. The Mizukage peered at him speculatively from under his wide-brimmed hat, and his comment made Zabuza the center of attention for the rest of the Seven Swordsman of Mist.

"Not at all, Mizukage-sama. Forgive me for disturbing you." Gah, I really hate being formal. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Hoshigaki Kisame raise a blue brow with a grin, revealing his sharp teeth, sharper than Zabuza's, but the blue-skinned man didn't bother covering them up.

"Hm…" He snapped his attention back to the child in front of him. Young he may have been, but the Mizukage was not someone to take lightly. His maturity surpassed many full-grown adults, and in this case, his perception was too sharp for Zabuza's taste. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the mission I assigned you, would it? You still haven't brought me the woman's head."

And that was why.

Zabuza made his polite apologies and reassurances as necessary. As he raised his head again, though, he paused. This had been bugging him… "If I may, Mizukage-sama?" The others showed various forms of surprise. He didn't question much of anything often. "Why did you send me after this girl?"

The complete silence suddenly encasing the room told clearly how curious everyone was as to that order. It came out of nowhere months ago, and given their Mizukage's amazing manipulative talents, they believed that he would bring anyone with the power to withstand Zabuza for all this time into his web and keep her there.

The quiet continued for several moments, before the Mizukage waved a hand dismissively. "It is of no consequence, Zabuza-kun. She is a threat to our village that we cannot allow anyone else to ensnare. Should this mean her death to prevent it, so be it."

And that was that, Zabuza supposed. He bowed slightly again and dropped the topic. No one questioned the Mizukage, even if they weren't satisfied with the answers they were given.

Of course, he smirked beneath the safety of his bandage-mask. That didn't mean he couldn't find out straight from the source. Perhaps he needed to have a chat with his favorite target.

~)*(~

Kagome felt the change in Zabuza as their blades clashed. It wasn't the lack of insults and proclamations of death, but he was paying a strange attention to her face, searching. "You know, I'm all healed now, so we can get serious." When he didn't respond, she frowned, throwing him across the clearing. "And not stare at each other as if we hold the answers to life."

"Well, maybe not the answers to life," Zabuza groused as he picked himself off the tree he slammed into. "But you can certainly answer one of my questions."

Jutting her hip to the side in an arrogant pose, Kagome arched an eyebrow. "Really? And what question would that be?" She had been trying for weeks to forget the growing connection between them and make him hate her. It would be easier. Always easier.

It just didn't seem to be working.

Zabuza jumped into the air to slice at her from above, and Kagome blocked, bracing her feet into the grass. "Why was I ordered to kill you?"

Incredulity jumped across her face. "Seriously?" Pushing his giant sword away, Kagome ducked to slice under his guard. His face was serious as he used the broad side of his blade to protect himself. "Okay. I guess that depends on who ordered you to kill me."

"I told you: the Mizukage."

"And I told you," against her better judgment, Kagome allowed some humor into her voice as she dodged him. "I don't know who that is."

Frustration flashed through Zabuza's eyes, and Kagome braced herself for his barrage of attacks. "How can you not know who the Mizukage is? He controls all the ninja of Mizukuni!" Locking their blades together, he sneered in her face. "The single most powerful person in the whole country is a teenage boy who looks like he couldn't smile if it killed him."

Blades screeched apart, and Kagome tilted her head back in thought. "Teenage boy?" She caught the kunai thrown at her. "I didn't meet anyone that young from here… You sure I'm the one you're after?"

"A little late to be asking that, isn't it?" Kagome tensed at the much darker, more animalistic voice from the trees above them. With deft movements that left Zabuza snarling, Kagome distanced herself from both her normal opponent and the possible new one.

Zabuza glared up at the tree. "What the hell are you doing here, Kisame?"

Well, they obviously knew each other, and that was probably a bad thing for her. "You've mentioned that name before…" But even if it was bad, she couldn't give that away so easily, so she tapped her chin. "He taught you something before… the water prison-thing."

Eyes sharpening as the man dropped to the forest floor, Kagome took in his appearance. He was by far the strangest person she had seen as of yet, but that didn't account for much considering who she interacted with in her own world. Blue skin with gills and small, beady yellow eyes, "Kisame" grinned at her, revealing slightly stained rows of teeth, like a shark's. "She's a pretty thing, isn't she?" And the giant sword on his back positively radiated malevolence. Beneath the anger and need to inflict pain, Kagome shuddered at something familiar.

Zabuza pointed Kubikiri Houcho at him. "She's my kill."

A vein in her temple twitched at the claim. "I'm not a piece of property, Zabu-kun."

"On a nickname basis, are you?" Kisame glanced suggestively between them.

A shout of dismay rose from Zabuza, and Kagome pouted playfully, but she never took her eyes off of either of them. If they decided to team up, not that she thought Zabuza would after all the time he put into killing her himself, but on the off chance that they did, or that Kisame attacked her by himself, she wanted to be ready. Her free hand dropped to her side, fingers coiling in preparation for the whips Sesshomaru was so proud of. Her control was never the greatest, and this was certainly not her most comfortable setting, but it would be something. She hadn't had to use them while in this world, so hopefully her control wasn't so terrible that it would end with a death.

A pulse of hunger from Kisame's sword, which she could see was wrapped very carefully now that he had his back to her, made her tense as Kisame paused. Her shoulder blades came together even more when he listened to it. The whisper she could register only in the back of her mind was clear as day to him.

Zabuza stepped back slightly when his fellow Swordsman arched an eyebrow, his grin spreading to show more teeth. "Well, that's interesting. Samehada here says that she's not normal." He turned around, his eyes taking in everything that she was for the second, maybe third, time. "Are you sure I can't have a bite?"

The innocent wide eyes she directed at them didn't work as the sword pulsed again, more urgently. "I don't think I'd taste very good, Fishy-san." She could see Zabuza's eyes take in her tension, the tight grip on her sword. "But if you guys want to talk, Zabu-chan and I can finish our spar later."

With a shrug that was supposed to dismiss them while setting her arm in the position to sent a wave of energy at them through her sword, Kagome waited. Her pacifist nature allowed for her battles with Zabuza, but the familiar sense of something told her that if this Kisame came at her, one of them would end up dead. Please don't attack. I don't want to kill. Please don't attack.

Tense moments of staring at each other passed, and Kagome held in her sigh of relief when the sword, Samehada, quieted down, withdrawing its challenge from her. "Heh." Kisame pulled his hand away from Samehada, giving her a grin full of fangs. "Be grateful for small mercies, Girly. I would have loved to see how sweet you are."

Scratching the back of her head, Kagome froze for a mere moment. Youki. That familiarity from Kisame. It was youki. She watched him a little more closely, drew out her words, wondering if he would understand their significance. "I'll be sure to add thanks in with my prayers to the gods."

Sure enough, Kisame's eyes widened, his grin grew. "Is that right?" They both ignored Zabuza's careful curiosity and just hold their gazes strong. After several moments, Kisame shook his head and turned away. "Send a prayer up for us, too. Maybe the gods will listen to you more than they would us."

"Will do." Kagome twirled her sword over her fingers, slipped it back into its sheath as Kisame disappeared. "I think that's it for the day, Zabu-kun." Watching him, she saw his lunge clearly and flipped away. "Well, I'm done for the day, anyway. You can keep striking at air if you want."

"What was that about?" His heated tone made her pause. Strands of black hair fell over her face as she tilted her head to the side, curious eyes roving over his scowl. "You two were staring at each other for five fuckin' minutes. What the hell?"

A smirk twitched at her lips, and Kagome flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder. Oh, this would be fun. Teasing Zabuza was, after all, one of her favorite past times. "Jealous, Zabu-kun?" His scowl morphed into something far more fitting of his nickname "Demon of the Mist," and Kagome only laughed because she was used to real demons. "Well, don't worry." She focused her energy to cloak her long enough to get away from him. "You're the only one I'll let kill me!"

Her laughter followed her own disappearance, leaving Zabuza to curse at nothing. He didn't need to know that seeing Kisame thrilled her, terrified her, and made her want to cry of yearning for another world.

~)*(~

The stars were bright in this world. Why Kagome decided to flop down on the beach and stare at the night sky rather than find a good tree to sleep in, she didn't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but she realized it was just making her more homesick. On good nights, back with the others, she would explain the constellations to Shippo and tell him the stories behind each one. His eyes would grow wide as he followed her pointing fingers to trace the outline, and off to the side, closer to the fire, Sango and Miroku would listen curiously. Inuyasha would pretend not to be interested, but his ears would flick toward her when she reached the climax of each story.

None of the constellations she knew were here, though.

Kagome sighed, folding her hands behind her head. She wondered if the ninja swarming this land took the time to make stories for the constellations, or if they were too focused on their own lives and battles. "It's almost sad, really…"

Only silence responded, but she wasn't surprised. She didn't expect her visitor to reveal himself so easily. It'd be boring, but then she wouldn't look like she was talking to herself. "Mah, that's okay." She was thought to be crazy, anyway—just ask Zabuza.

A flicker of an aura skittered across her awareness, and Kagome tensed. Dark, thick, poisonous, it felt almost like Naraku.

Remaining on her back, Kagome closed her eyes. She'd felt this aura before. Once in this world, and it wasn't pleasant. Before she first fought Zabuza. Reeking of bloody power.

"The Mizukage, ne?" The flicker cut back across, away, and Kagome frowned. "Most powerful person… a teenage boy, Zabuza said. Ordered my death." She opened her eyes again, staring up at the stars again, looking for answers. "Doesn't feel like a teenager to me. Far too old and cynical."

Her guest retreated, and Kagome sighed again. "I wonder how the guys at home are doing…"

~)*(~

She could honestly say she hadn't expected to see Kisame again. But here he was, nonetheless, just over a month later, blue skin, gills, yellow beady eyes, and all. And she didn't fear him anymore, didn't worry about him attacking her. He knew what she was, now. He knew better than to kill her. He was part demon. Somewhere in his ancestry was a demon, and she could destroy that easily.

So Kagome didn't do anything as he sat down beside her, setting his starving sword beside him. "What can I do for you, Kisame-san?" He wouldn't attack her, but he could try to get something from her, and she didn't want to leave anything of herself behind in this world when she left… if she left.

He shrugged, flopping onto his back. "Nothin'." And that was a big lie. Right up there with "Miroku is an honest and chaste monk." Kagome rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. If he wanted to be difficult, fine. She could wait him out.

The clouds rolled over them, and the lake in front of them reached for them with easy waves. It was peaceful, and Kagome could even enjoy the faint pulse of youki beside her. The familiar hum comforted her for a few hours, until Kisame's rough voice brought her back to reality. "Mizukage-sama is getting irritated. If Zabuza doesn't kill you soon, he'll order me or one of the others to kill you both."

Kagome nodded. She'd actually been thinking about that since she realized they were getting attached to each other. After exhausting every possible route back home, there were only a few things left for her to try, and one she didn't want to.

"I'll deal with it." Kisame turned his head to face her, but she didn't meet his gaze. "I'm not going to let him die for something that shouldn't exist in this world in the first place."

He kept his eyes on her, but eventually nodded slowly. "I leave it to you, then." With a last pulse of youki and Samehada, he vanished.

Kagome drew her knees up to her chest, set her chin on them. It would take more courage than she thought she had to follow through with her last option, but it would save more than just herself. Maybe it would save Zabuza, too.

~)*(~

Kagome grinned as she caught three of Zabuza's kunai out of the air, but the true satisfaction of the fight didn't reach her eyes. Zabuza, on the other hand, seemed to genuinely enjoy their spar. His irritation from the beginning was definitely gone, and Kagome almost winced at it. It would be easier if he still hated her.

"Something the matter, Girly?" He appeared before her in a sudden movement, slashing upward with his cleaver. A deft flip of her wrist sent his attack wide, and she slipped one of the kunai along his arm, tearing through his bandages, and leaving a line of red along his skin.

She jumped away, twirling another kunai on her finger. "Apparently not. First blood is mine."

With a slight glare at her, Zabuza charged again, one hand flipping through hand seals. Jets of water shot from the river beside them toward Kagome, and she twisted her spine to dodge one, slash through the second, and throw the other kunai at the last two. Her spin ended with a loud clash of metal against metal of her katana meeting Kubikiri Houcho.

Their faces only inches apart, Kagome stared into his eyes, searching for something. A resolve to kill her that she remembered from the beginning. But his dark eyes, haunted and bloody as they were, were clear and even happy. But there was a wariness there, rising the longer they were at a standstill and Kagome didn't taunt him.

Breaking away, Zabuza reached out to grab her blade. Kagome's eyes widened, and she tensed, bringing her precious defense out of his grasp and across his chest. Another line of crimson appeared there.

He stared down at it for a second, then brought his gaze back up, an eyebrow arched in challenge. "Second blood. Not fair, don't you think?"

Kagome responded with her usual smirk and a shrug. "If we were concerned about fairness, you shouldn't have trapped me in that water prison before."

Zabuza scowled, readjusting his grip on his sword. "Never going to let that go, are you?"

Another shrug, and Kagome leveled her katana with her shoulder. "Keeps a distance."

She knew she said the wrong thing when he didn't attack immediately. Their gazes locked for a long moment. Whatever he saw in her, a difference that he hadn't expected, Kagome didn't know, but she let him charge her again, more fiercely than before, and parried him with simple blocks.

No more taunts flew back and forth, and Kagome kept one arm hanging loosely at her side. The point of this fight was different than the others, but she couldn't rush it. Following through with this too quickly would ruin everything, and they'd likely both end up dead at the hands of the other swordsmen she heard rumors of. The rhythm of the battle—it had ceased being a spar the moment Zabuza recognized a difference—sped up, and Kagome began getting closer, fighting back again.

Urging him on to harder strikes, deadlier slashes.

Shrieks of metal, surface lacerations, grunts of frustration and pain filled the clearing, until there was a solid thunk of a sword piercing a tree.

And a strong thrust.

Blood began filling a lung, and Kagome coughed. Her sword lay on the ground feet away, behind Zabuza. Kubikiri Houcho extended from her chest, gleaming in the dim light of the fog, blood trickling along its edge.

"Why?" Zabuza's voice was thick, rougher even than normal, and he stared at her, demanding an explanation. "Why did you—"

"Drop my sword?" Kagome smiled around bloody lips. "Let you stab me?" Her eyes were growing heavy. "I'm homesick, Zabu-kun." So she closed them, stared at the darkness of her eyelids. "And I couldn't let you die for not killing me."

Anger made Zabuza twist his grip on the hilt, sending pain through her, an attempt to keep her conscious. "What the hell are you talking about? I wouldn't die." But they both knew he couldn't be sure of that. "You…"

He couldn't finish, and Kagome felt so much sorrow from him. Despite her best efforts, they were connected on some level. He would mourn her passing, and she would mourn him, too. It was only fair.

The blood loss was getting to her, and Kagome felt the world spinning, going Dalmatian-spotted even in the dark. Trying to speak brought about another, more severe cough, and Kagome her eyes again. "I enjoyed our little fights… Let's do it again sometime."

And Zabuza yanked Kubikiri Houcho from her. She didn't remember hitting the ground.

~)*(~

"Pathetic brat…" And he really was pathetic, the boy crouched at the bridge railing. Ratty hair and clothes too thin for winter and too small for his frame. But he still met the gaze of a killer easily, and his lips turned up.

"You have the same eyes I do." A brilliant smile, molten brown eyes with a glint of steel. So damn familiar.

"Brat… Do you want to be needed by someone? Are you willing to give everything for me?" The tiny boy nodded, never taking his eyes off him. "From now on, your power belongs to me." Zabuza saw a brilliant light flood his eyes, and he couldn't help but remember her eyes, still open when he dropped her head at the Mizukage's feet.

But that wouldn't happen this time. He set his hand on the boy's head, sealing the promise with himself. "Come with me."

~)*(~

"Kagome!" Shippo's voice echoed from above her, and Kagome struggled to make her eyes focus on the bright teal of the kitsune's. "You're finally awake!" Distantly, she heard the others' voices, clamoring to reach her. "You were asleep for a really long time."

Kagome smiled faintly at him, watching him bite his lip. Shippo must have been so worried. "I'm okay now. I promise.

"I'm home." Goodbye.

AN: And I have miraculously risen from the dead for a short period of time. ^_^ (puts up fire-shield against all pitchforks, knives, flames, and all other possible weapons of death and destruction aimed at me) Yes, yes. It's been a long time. Longer than I expected, but ya know what? I love you all, but real life is calling, and I can't do a lot about that. I apologize (kinda), and I hope you all are willing to bear with that for a while. I'll try not to make any promises that will most likely be broken. That being said, I'm not promising any updates on anything for a while. I'm sorry. For now, I hope you enjoyed this (I'm a little if-fy about the ending, but otherwise, I really liked writing this, even if it took me for. ev. er.

Thank you all for reading!