Hey, I'm back. Thanks for the reviews. Now, on to the next chapter . . . Please keep in mind that this is an Itachi & Kagome pairing, so if you are sick of reading this pairing or you hate this pairing, click the back button. I do not tolerate flames, so if you want to point out a mistake I made, please use constructive criticism. Otherwise enjoy second installment of Shrine of the Sacred.

Summary: Up till now, the Guardian of Konoha has never once been seen. The last thing Sasuke expected to come across was the sight of the Guardian of Konoha cuddling with his brother, of all people. Right, and who said Itachi was asexual? ItaKag

Shrine of the Sacred

Chapter One: The Injured Criminal

Brought out of focus

My world turned upside-down

Done in a man with injustice

Love no one, a heart of ice

Only broken through the light

The late afternoon sun peaked through the trees, shining dully on a tired figure slumped on the ground, leaning against the base of a tree deep within the Konoha forest. Various injuries littered his body, leaking scarlet blood.

His vision began to swim. The last thing he saw before the darkness consumed him was a pair of wide cerulean eyes.

"Kagome-sama!"

Naruto's voice rang through the house. The young woman (well, actually she should be around eighty years old, but because of her immortality, she looks like she's seventeen) poked her head out from the doorway and raised an eyebrow at the sight of the injured teenager on Naruto's back.

"Place him there," she said, tapping the floor of the shrine.

Naruto gently eased the boy on the floor. "I found him unconscious in the forest. Judging by the look of his hitai-ate, he is supposed to be a nukenin, but his memories say something different."

Kagome studied the boy while using her miko ki to heal the wounds and replenish blood. "I know who this is," she said quietly. "This boy is Uchiha Itachi, the revered prodigy of Konoha's Uchiha clan."

Naruto's fluffy ears twitched. "He's part of the Uchiha clan? Then why was he all the way out here?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. Kagome smiled at the confused expression on his face.

"We'll find out when he wakes up," she said, getting up and moving Itachi to the couch so she could properly clean him. "Why don't you take a shower, Naruto?"

Naruto's nose wrinkled as the scent of human blood on his clothes finally caught up to him. He quickly exited the room in favor of going to the washroom.

Kagome took out a medical kit and a bowl of clean forest water, and used a cotton ball soaked in water to clean off the blood from Itachi's body.

Little Sasuke walked slowly around the compound. The dark, silent streets devoid of the members of the fallen Uchiha clan greeted his sullen face. He came to the dojo, the site where his parents had been killed by his older brother.

Nii-san . . .

It wasn't until nearly a week later that Itachi finally woke up.

Dark onyx eyes blinked open, gazing blankly at the light blue ceiling while his thoughts and memories slowly returned to him. All his limbs were sore, but he didn't see a single scratch on him. His attire had also been changed to a simple white haori with dark-blue hakamas.

The door to the room quietly slid open, catching Itachi's attention. A young man with a golden tail and fluffy fox ears stepped in, carrying a silver bowl filled with clear water and a clean white towel.

Their eyes met, onyx clashing with startled blue. The blonde stared for a good five seconds, before dropping what he was carrying and running out the door, shouting excitedly, "Kagome-sama! He's awake!"

A few seconds later a beautiful young woman entered, clad in the traditional red and white garb of a shrine priestess. She sighed, spotting the bowl, the puddle and the towel on the floor.

"Naruto," she scolded the blonde gently as he came, "you dropped the water on the floor."

Naruto's ears flattened against his head and he smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry, Kagome-sama. I was excited that he finally woke up."

Kagome mopped up the water with the towel and placed it with the silver bowl. "Put this in the sink," she said, handing the bowl to Naruto.

Itachi wanted to know where he was, but when he opened his mouth to speak, all that came out was a muffled, hoarse, "Ereami?" (1)

Kagome walked over to his bedside and massaged his throat. Itachi relaxed as some warm energy slipped through her fingers and healed his rusty vocal cords.

Naruto came back in and walked over to Itachi's other side. "You're okay now," he said, smiling. "I found you in the forest the other day and took you back here. What happened?"

Itachi decided to test his ability to speak first.

"Turned . . . down . . . proposal . . . to join . . . Akatsuki," he said slowly, with a little bit of difficulty.

Naruto turned towards Kagome. "Isn't Akatsuki that new organization that's going around hunting down the Bijuu?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe Lord Kyuubi should've informed you of it," Kagome said, with a faraway look in her eyes.

There was a knock on the front door, so Kagome glided out of the room to see who was visiting her. When she slid the door open, she was tackled by two bodies.

"Kagome-sama!" both bundles of energy shouted simultaneously, hugging her around the waist.

Naruto came out to see who shouted his boss's name. His face broke out into a grin when he recognized the two children. "Shippo-kun! Rin-chan!"

The auburn-haired child named Shippo whipped his head towards the familiar voice. His bright aquamarine eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Naruto-niisan!" he squealed, launching himself into the blonde's arms.

A tall man with long silver hair and narrow golden eyes stepped in after the children. Naruto bowed to the man and said, "Good morning, Sesshomaru-sama."

The silver-haired man nodded towards the boy and turned his attention to his adopted younger sister. "Imouto, I scent that you are taking care of an injured man," he said.

Kagome nodded. "Uchiha Itachi, 13 years and 8 months old," she said. "We do not have the entire story on why he has run from his former village, but we do know that someone issued an invitation to him to join an organization named Akatsuki. The reason he was wounded is because he turned down their offer."

"I will study him," the Western Lord said.

Itachi had succeeded in sitting up on the bed, his back propped up against the wooden headboard. He watched as the door slid open and a tall, regal man with extremely long hair and nearly-impeccable beauty stepped in, elegance in his step. The woman from before entered after him.

The man scrutinized him with his golden stare, which unnerved Itachi a little bit, but he held the gaze anyway.

The man broke their staring contest by turning to Kagome. "He is acceptable," he said, leaving the room. "He is the first human to ever hold my gaze for longer than fifteen seconds without wetting himself."

Kagome smiled faintly.

"Itachi-kun!"

A young girl with shoulder-length black hair ran towards him, her hair flying behind her, caressed by the wind.

Suddenly a dark shadow was cast over her, and the grassy field was replaced by the blood-stained streets of the Uchiha complex. The girl dropped dead to the floor, a large slash across her chest. Her dead black eyes stared at him accusingly.

"You killed me, Itachi-kun," she whispered in a ghostly voice, tears of blood leaking from the edges of her unseeing-orbs. "Why did you kill me? Why did you kill me, your girlfriend? I thought you loved me."

"I did."

"Why did you kill me?"

"Because –"

"Damn it, Itachi, WHY DID YOU KILL ME?!"

A flash of white light burst from her body and he knew no more.

Itachi jolted awake with a strangled gasp, cold sweat covering his face. "Ayaka!"

Kagome walked in. "Had a nightmare, Itachi?" she asked softly. He nodded mutely.

"I . . . I killed everyone in my clan . . . but I couldn't kill my little brother," he said, trying not to choke on his own words. "I . . . couldn't kill Sasuke, but I was able to kill my girlfriend . . . we were engaged to be married within six months . . ."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Only 13 years old and already thinking about getting married?" she said jokingly.

"But now I cannot."

Kagome's smile slipped off her face. "As time passes, you'll learn to overcome your feelings," she said softly, exiting the room. "Sleep well, Itachi."

All right, that's it for this chapter. I hope it was long enough . . .

Thanks to these people for reviewing:

4get me not

zoey tamagachi

Shiroi no Yume

Demonic kunoichiKagi

Niwasae

the-black-rose-is-mine-alone07

Silvergem88

XxHisLilLoverGirlxX

hichigomate

kakashixangela

RaitenKitsune

Pride-Of-Angels

itachigurlsaiyaku

sasuke-annihilater

Chibi Sessho-chan

1) Ereami? – where am I?

Translations

Akatsuki – dawn/red moon

Bijuu – tailed demon

hitai-ate – headband

imouto – little sister

nii-san – older brother

nukenin – A ninja that has abandoned his/her home village

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Silvergem88, you asked if I was Cantonese. The answer is yes. :)

A review will be appreciated,

MangaFreak15