Drowning
Kagami has no clue what is going on in her head when Akari swoops through the open window behind the couch.
She’s been face planted in the couch for the last hour Sasuke has been at the Academy going through a crisis. It's somehow been a week since she made her meeting with the Hokage and she is in no way prepared.
Kagami was not raised learning how clan politics work! She learned clan politics purely because her sensei and teammates were all in some way related to the main families of their clans which in turn led to Kagami having to learn the same lessons as Naeto and Souta from Inori-sensei. While she knows basic politicking that does not equate to politics involving the major clans of Konoha along with reviving a nearly extinct clan.
“Chick?” Akari pokes at the woman who has all but melted into the couch with a strangled noise coming from Kagami’s throat at the touch.
“Yes?” Kagami’s voice is muffled by the pillow as Akari perches on her shoulder blades causing pinpricks on discomfort to spread over Kagami’s skin and a slight shiver to run down her spine.
“I was simply looking around the Hokage Tower due to your meeting later today and found that the Hokage didn’t have it in his books and instead is scheduled to be meeting with the Clan Heads and the Village Elders” Kagami jolts upwards and sends Akari fluttering out of the way with a loud squawk.
“What?” Sharingan swirl in her eyes as Kagami turns to Akari before she lunges for the folded clothing next to the couch and begins to hurriedly dress.
“Has the meeting already started Akari?” Kagami is tying the knot on her obi and shifting the red and golden fabric to lay comfortable and fittingly for a woman of noble heritage.
“It has, though only a half an hour ago” Akari says handing Kagami the similarly made hair ribbon which the woman takes gratefully and pulls around her hair, securing it up into a high ponytail and poking a golden dragon pin through to hold it in addition to the ribbon. Kagami pulls down the slightly wrinkled sleeves of her kimono and smooths out her hakama before grabbing tou-san's battle coat and shrugging it over the ensemble.
“Do you know where my makeup is?” Kagami hurriedly says as she paws around for her zori with red ribbons. Her blue ones would work but her complementary colors with this kimono are red so red ribboned zori are better suited.
“In the fledgling's room, I’ll go get it!” Akari flies off towards Sasuke’s room while Kagami finally finds her zori and begins to pull them on.
“Here chick!” Akari tosses the make-up bag at Kagami who catches it and automatically unzips it and pulls out the red and quickly grabs a brush dipping it into her cup of water on the table and paints stark red lines around her eyes and then paints her lips similarly. It’s not as dramatic as her usual look but it will do well for a more formal occasion.
“Kuriyose no jutsu!” Kagami’s hands slam into the ground and three wolves appear. Ichika is not disturbed in the slightest however the wolves beside her, Nanami and Akito almost immediately let out a low growl.
“Nanami, Akito calm down I can’t explain right now why I haven’t summoned you but we’re about to do something impressively stupid” Kagami hisses and the wolves each stand to attention at the sound of her voice.
“Pup?” Akito’s rumbling voice sounds out as the massive brown wolf stares at her in shock.
“Yes, hi now Akira watch over Sasuke! Ichika, Nanami, Akito follow!”
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Everyone in the Hokage Office freezes as a woman in noble clothing throws open the doors followed quickly by three massive wolves. Kagami pushes people out of the way as she skips steps while Akito, Nanami, and Ichika follow her growling at any people who attempt to stop her single-minded goal.
Excuse me I’m needed in the meeting room ANBU-sans" Kagami smooths out her clothing as she looks at both ANBU, one who must be Kakashi with the gravity defying silver hair and the other she doesn’t recognize likely recruited after her unplanned retirement.
“Apologies but only clan leaders are allowed into the meeting Miss” Kagami’s eyes narrow on Kakashi as a pure customer service smile spreads across her face and she presses her hands together.
“Good thing then, I may be a tad late but legally I’m the Uchiha Clan head so thank you for your dedication” Kagami pushes past and steps into the meeting room, gaze sweeping between the arguing clan heads with an internal sigh. This is why she doesn’t touch politics with a 30 foot pole the clans can’t get anything done because they can’t get over themselves. She also adds the Uchiha Elders to that equation because they were all stubborn old coots. In all honesty Konoha needs someone to overthrow the current system it's in no way effective and only benefits the clans.
She catches Nara-sama's eye and inclines her head towards him and the rest of the InoShikaCho group. There are only a few major clans she’ll show respect to and the Nara, Yamanka, and Akamichi are part of that group.
Shikaku’s eyes brow raises at the appearance of the obviously Uchiha woman but inclines his head in turn. She’s obviously out of her depth but Shikaku can respect the fact that she is keeping her cool in the face of the arguments ripping through the meeting room. Him, Chouza, and Inoichi have already made a silent agreement to support the young woman in the wake of the fact that she nearly gave her life in a failed attempt to save her Nara teammate and barely managed to save her Yamanaka sensei in the same swoop.
The Aburame no doubt will support her as well; her other teammate was an Aburame and was Shibi’s cousin. Team Inori was well known for being strange due to the mix of people on the team, but they worked well together, they were all brilliant shinobi for a team thrown together purely for the war.
The mission that led to Nara Naeto and Aburame Souta’s deaths, Yamanaka Inori’s below the waist paralysis, and Uchiha Kagami’s coma was and still is an utter mess of a mission. It was meant to be a protection detail for a Fire Country noble to the capital given to a proficiently ranked team with enough successful missions to fight off enemy shinobi since it was still war time. Shikaku remembers staying up for days at end trying to figure out who leaked the mission because what was going on was top secret. They’re still trying to patch up the holes that Orochimaru just ripped back open, and Team Inori’s final mission is just one needle in a million separate haystacks.
Kagami POV
“Excuse me? Sandaime-sama?” Everyone in the room jolts at the foreign voice, heads swiveling towards the woman standing calmly at the entrance looking more the part of a shinobi clan leader than some clan leaders.
“Girl, you should not be in here this meeting is closed to all ears and eyes except those of clan leaders” Danzo says and Kagami resists snarling in annoyance. The old war hawk has never been on her clan’s side.
“Excuse my impertinence Elder Shimura but am I not a clan leader? I am the former clan leader's cousin through his wife and Uchiha Itachi has been struck from the clan succession due to his crimes” Kagami folds her hands in front of her and hides them within the sleeves of her kimono, gripping the fans hidden them to calm herself down.
“You are not-” Danzo is cut off by the loud voice of Inuzuka Tsume.
“HA! I like your spunk kid and your wolves, their almost as good as my clans nin dogs!” Kagami sends a weary smile towards the woman and walks towards the dusty Uchiha seat beside the equally decrepit Senju seat and takes her place using a small pulse of chakra to clear away the cobwebs.
“May I ask what we are discussing? Or may I bring up my own questions? I am very inexperienced compared to all of you in matters such as this so I leave it to all of you to guide me” Everyone blinks at Kagami who looks serene and innocent even though they all know she’s just trying to further her agendas.
"We are simply discussing how to handle the Kyubi jinchurriki, the boy is much to unstable and untrained” Danzo glares at Kagami who just smiles at him in turn. Everyone can feel the tension between the two and are all surprised to find the younger woman holding with ground easily against Danzo.
None of her family has trusted the warhawk since he found great ojii-san's body. The Uchiha do not forget and they never got to inspect the body the Danzo didn't bring back from the field. It's things like that, that cause the Uchiha to distrust and make up backup plans for backup plans and that is exactly how her clan has survived for so long.
“Who is the current jinchurriki Elder Shimura, I know Kushina-hime is no longer the Kyuubi container and I am still unfortunately behind on the current village goings” Kagami pulls her fan from her sleeve and flicks it open keeping the blades concealed as she fans herself lightly. Everyone in this room knows she’s deadly as a shinobi but it's hard to think that when looking a young woman with carefully done makeup to hide the scars and clothes so fine you wouldn’t even think she’d even have touched the battlefield if not for the battle coat on her shoulders and the subtle calluses on her hands.
“Given that you are a clan head Kagami-san you can be privy to this information, but I will tell you we have an order to not tell the jinchurikki of his status” Hiruzen relies with a kind smile cutting off Danzo’s answer.
Kagami internally screeches because who doesn’t tell the jinchurikki that they are one! Jinchurikki need specialized training from a young age to be able control their tail beasts and with one like the Kyubi its straight up suicide to not teach the child. It is a child because Kushina-hime was still alive when Kagami fell into the coma and the only available containers would have likely been one of her children. Only an Uzumaki can handle the backlash of the Kyuubi.
“Of course Sandaime-sama I am a loyal shinobi of Konohagakure” Kagami inclines her head towards the old man and clenched her now folded fan in her grasp in annoyance.
“Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto is the current jinchuuriki”
...
Kagami blinks at Hiruzen as if trying to figure out if she actually just heard that. Naruto? Orphan Naruto who can barely hold chopsticks is underweight and lacking vitamins along with the fact that his teachers obviously hate him.
How did she manage to make her cousin befriend the one person likely to gain equal amounts of trauma as him?
...
Just how?
Kagami shakes her head minutely and hides her face behind her fan once more. “Ah that makes sense, it would be dangerous for a non Uzumaki to become the Kyuubi jinchuuriki.”
Everyone nods in agreement though some such as the InoShikaCho alliance and Tsume seem hesitant. Kagami can hear Akito snort at how much she’s bullshiting right now from where he is sat like a statue beside her chair. She reaches over and pets through his thick brown fur to calm down as she readjusts how to ask her questions.
“Before we begin I have a few questions about the Uchiha Massacre”
Everyone freezes and the few who weren’t paying attention to her swing their heads towards her with looks of shock.
“You have no right to ask about that” Danzo hisses and Kagami glares right back at him as she snaps her fan shut with a noise that echos through the room.
"I have every right Shimura Danzo” She hisses right back fighting back the urge to cut his throat with the fan currently in her hand.
“So kindly explain why my eight-year-old cousin has been living by hiself for the last two years and why Itachi felt the need to kill the clan and before you interrupt me again Elder Shimura” Kagami casts another glare towards the man daring him to speak over her once more.
“I am no idiot, Itachi was a pacifist he would not have killed unless it was a last result and if he truly had a psychotic break he would have killed everyone, myself and Sasuke included” Kagami draws herself up to a full sit and gestures toward Nanami where he is laying at her feet to bristle up and growl softly with Akito and Ichika in a show of power.
“Unfortunately, only I am privy to that information Kagami” Kagami bristles even more as the Sandaime try's to quell her anger.
“Very well but I ask to have the full files I am allowed to access on the massacre delivered to the clan compound later today along with the full information on Itachi Uchiha’s psych report” Everyone in the room knows that she is allowed to do this, Itachi is both her cousin and a rouge-nin from her clan.
Laws that date back to the founding in the village allow her to do this. The Uchiha are a founding clan, and everyone seems to have forgotten that. She may be a clan of two but her clan built back up after losing their most powerful ninja after he went rouge in the Founder's Era. She may not be adept of politics but she does know the laws of the Konoha charter
Kagami makes a gesture, and Ichika turns toward her and nods her head and the pack calms down. Going from ready to attack to instead laying at her feet, even Akito calming down despite the tension in the wolves muscles still obvious.
“I apologize for my outburst toward you and Elder Shimura, Sandaime-sama I hope you can forgive me” Kagami bows lowly towards the man who nods in thanks in turn and begins to zone out as the topic turns back towards what they were originally talking about before Kagami joined the meeting.
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As the meeting ends most of the clan leaders leave their seats and begin to mingle with each other. Kagami finds herself fighting the urge to doze off as she stays sitting and pets Nanami who is basically sitting in her lap despite being around 150 lbs of pure muscle.
"Uchiha-sama huh?” Kagami jolts at the voice and turns to see Inoichi-sama looking at her with a weary smile.
“Yeah, I doubt this is what Inori-sensei though would happen when I grew up” She says with a slight laugh as she walks towards the man thankful for the familiarity he’s showing.
“How is he by the way? My last few memories of what happened are blurry” She averts her eyes, and she fiddles with her sleeves looking like the teen Inoichi remembers his younger brother dragging to the compound for training or for team dinners.
“He’s doing well, somehow managed to settle down with a nice nurse” Inoichi says as he scratches the back of his head. Kagami laughs softly at Inoichi’s words. It used to be a longstanding thing that Inori-sensei would never settle down with his terribel luck with any gender and the fact that the man always managed to miss the few dates he did manage to get set up.
“Thats good” Kagami replies her gaze becoming a bit distant.
Does... Does she even have a place in his life anymore? Inori-sensei has had eight years without her, he’s married and Kagami...
Kagami’s the one who didn’t move fast enough to stop him from getting his spine severed.
“You know he does miss you know? He’s always telling Ino about the kunoichi he taught” Inoichi lays a hand on Kagami’s shoulder and lets out an internal sigh as he watches her flinch at the touch and at his words.
"Tell him to visit then, I’d love to see him but I-” She shakes her head but knows Inoichi understands what she means. He’s the head of T&I knows how everything that happens in a shinobi’s life can affect them and Kagami has been in the field since she was seven.
“I will” Inoichi says placing a hand on her shoulder and she smiles at him before turning around and whistling for Akito, Nanami, and Ichika. She sweeps out of the meeting room fighting the feeling of drowning once more as tears threaten the corner of her eyes.
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“Kagami! Where were you?” Kagami smiles as Sasuke pops out of the kitchen to look at her and she hears. the flapping of wings that signal Akari behind him.
"Hey there fledgling, I was at a clan meeting sorry for not picking you up today” She reaches forward and ruffles his hair which just makes him groan in annoyance and huff.
“Now let me get changed and then we can eat” Kagami replies, Sasuke brightens up again and nods before scrambling back to the kitchen as the smell of smoke begins to waft into the entrance.
She keeps a smile on her face as the wolves follow Sasuke into the kitchen curious about the child who obviously isn’t one of her siblings. By the time she reaches the second less formal living room she rummages for makeup wipes and begins to wipe off the makeup hiding her scars. She traces her fingers over the faint lightning scars on her check that lead down her neck and her right arm.
She pulls her clothing off and shakes the tenseness out of her muscles, she undoes her hair and massages her scalp as her hair falls down her back. Kagami grabs the loose pants and shirt she was wearing earlier and pulls them on, twisting to make sure they didn’t brush against any of her various scars from over the years even though she was wearing these just this morning.
Kagami lets out a strangled sigh as she buries her head in her hands ignoring the phantom feelings of sticky blood coating them.
Bile wells up her throat as she remembers Souta’s blood on her hands as she struggled to pull back together the massive hole in his chest. She remembers screaming Naeto’s name his skull was caved in. She remembers watching a blade pierce into Inori-sensei's back and the man beginning to choke on his own blood as Kagami snapped the chain and slit the attacker's throat.
She remembers so much
She also remembers much to little
Kagami is terrified, she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing or what kind of things she’s digging up. Asuka doesn’t know what to do without obaa-san calming her down from a panic attack with wizened hands and softly sung melodies.
Asuka never got to see Shisui growing up, he was nine when she went to sleep and didn’t wake up for eight years. He had vague stories of her and an older brother who was truly dead until he died like everyone else.
A choked laugh bubbles up her throat as she tangles her fingers into her hair and her other hand scratches against the skin of her forearm
. . .
Kagami blinks back into existence
She feels sharp pain and blood dripping down her arm and pulls her arm in front of her to watch the nail gouges there just barely bleeds.
She blinks again
“Ameratsu dammit” She curses beneath her breath and grabs the towel underneath the coffee table and presses it against the wound without a noise of pain.
She hears a voice calling her name and pulls herself out of the pit, out of the ocean and its saltwater stinging in old and current wounds.
“I’m coming Sasuke! Make sure Nanami doesn’t eat my serving!” Kagami looks down at the wound on her arm for another moment as she removes the towel.
She blinks again and feels the word come into a bit more focus than it did before. She feels strangely lighter almost, like a weight has been lifted. She doesn’t know what but something feels changed, less pressuring.
It's a feeling she plans to latch onto if she has and choice as she gets up and walks into the kitchen with no fake smile plastered on her face as she sits between Akito and Ichika while Sasuke tries to sneak Nanami food.
It's not the family she had before, a patchwork version of it almost but it feels like hers again and Kagami intends to keep it that way.