"We must focus then on what we know of Itsetsuhiko," Miroku counseled, settling his staff across his lap as he sat on the ground. "It is time we all joined our wisdom together to learn how to best Itsetsuhiko."

Kagome bit her lower lip, not willing to openly share all she knew just yet, suspecting that if she did, she would risk sharing the plan she knew Sesshomaru would object to.

Myoga coughed into his hands. "As you know, Lord Sesshomaru and Lord InuYasha, both my family and Totosai's have served yours for many hundreds of years. Your grandfather, the first Inu no Taisho, was the one who first encountered Itsetsuhiko, along with my father and Totosai himself."

Kagome saw Sesshomaru incline his head slightly and narrowed her eyes, not realizing just how much Sesshomaru had already known about Itsetsuhiko.

He's still keeping secrets from me. She narrowed her eyes from him, forcing back her own guilt at doing the same.

Totosai, however, flinched at Myoga's revelation, and Kagome wondered what history the smith had with Totosai. She hadn't noticed before, but now that she was paying attention, the smith seemed uncomfortable any time their enemy was mentioned by name.

"Old Totosai fought him?" InuYasha nearly wheezed in laughter at the idea. "That old geezer couldn't win a battle against a rock."

"Hmph." From the other side of their camp, Totosai calmly belched out a fire underneath InuYasha's feet, chuckling darkly as InuYasha danced out of harm's way. "I was a formidable warrior in my youth, I'll have you know."

"Oy, what did you go and do that for, bastard?" InuYasha griped, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword. "You nearly burnt my feet off, you old geezer!"

"InuYasha..." Kagome warned her friend darkly as his ears flattened at the familiar tone. Though he no longer wore the beads, the instinct to obey that voice remained. "Tell us more about the battle itself."

Myoga tucked all four of his hands into his sleeves as he calmly continued, "Itsetsuhiko was a minor lord's second son at the time but he believed he would be the future ruler of Nippon. He demanded a woman from each of the cardinal houses as tribute. He was, of course, refused. He had neither the power nor the wealth to entertain such delusions and without his family's backing, he had nothing to offer women to wed him."

That much Kagome had already learned from Sesshomaru.

"He was only successful in obtaining Lady Shiyuri, though he did so by force," Myoga continued, careful to avoid Shiyuri's own cold gaze. "But that proved to lead to his own downfall as Lady Shiyuri escaped and led Inu no Taisho's army to him. Your honorable grandfather banished Itsetsuhiko to the mainland."

"Why didn't Inu no Taisho kill Itsetsuhiko?" Sango asked, her hand moving to unconsciously hold the strap of her Hiraikotsu.

Myoga moved one hand to stroke his mustache. "Itsetsuhiko had gained the support of several minor yokai lords as well as many other disenchanted youth who were in similar positions for inheritance," he revealed slowly, "and the first Inu no Taisho feared that slaying him would turn Itsetsuhiko into a martyr. He felt that allowing Itsetsuhiko to live but stripping him of his title, army, and resources would ensure that this would not occur." Myoga shrugged.

"Keh." Totosai tutted from his makeshift forge. "He was a cheeky little bastard, that one. His father should have drowned him at birth. Would have saved us all a lot of trouble."

Toran narrowed her eyes at the smith. "You're just afraid Itsetsuhiko come back looking for revenge against you directly," she said shrewdly.

Totosai scoffed but didn't bother to dispute the accusation as he turned his attention back to the weapon before him in need of sharpening. "Pesky lot," he groused to himself. "Should have stayed home, Momo. Ungrateful, the whole lot of them."

"Honestly, I'm more worried about the power he's accumulating than his past," Kagome finally spoke up, ignoring Totosai's continued complaints. "Even if we learned something useful about Itsetsuhiko, I don't think it would be beneficial. It's not like we're going to sacrifice someone he wants revenge against to try and catch him in a trap."

Totosai breathed out a sigh of relief at that.

If anyone is going to lure him out here, it's going to be me, anyway. I wouldn't ask that of my friends when it's me he wants.

Miroku looked ready to argue but to Kagome's surprise, it was Shiyuri who came to her defense. "The priestess is correct," she said, her voice a low, cool timbre. "Itsetsuhiko deserves nothing less than death and that is all that matters."

"Oh, that's something we can all agree on." Ayame flexed her claws as Koga cracked his knuckles.

There wasn't anyone who disagreed with that. Though most of their makeshift army had personal vendettas against Itsetsuhiko, Kagome couldn't disagree with their sentiment. Allowing Itsetsuhiko to live would only allow him to return again at a later date, subjecting the next generation to his warring.

But Kagome wouldn't allow that threat to continue. She would destroy Itsetsuhiko and purify him to prove to his army that he was nothing more than a yokai pretending to be their kami.

And in doing so, I'm going to change the future, she promised herself. I'll make a future where yokai and those with holy power can live together in peace alongside humans.

Miroku sighed heavily as he exchanged an odd look with his wife. "The issue isn't what to do with Itsetsuhiko," he responded, his voice calm, "but how we will ensure that he is defeated."

"Itsetsuhiko will be here tomorrow," Shin reminded them all, though his gaze remained firmly trained on his mate. Kagome could almost see the monk swearing that none would be allowed to harm his mate, not for a second time. "There isn't time for any elaborate plans."

"I have a plan—" Toran said, stepping forward with a proud grin.

"Keh." InuYasha snorted as he interrupted the panther yokai. "Thanks, but I still remember how shitty your last plan was so we'll pass. You'd just get us all killed."

Toran glowered as she hissed at InuYasha. "Bite me," she snarled, baring her fangs.

InuYasha rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't bite something that reeks of cat. You probably carry diseases."

Sometimes, Kagome thought to herself sourly, I feel like InuYasha hasn't matured at all.

"Besides," InuYasha added, puffing out his chest, "I'm happy mated."

Toran sniffed. "I'm surprised Lord Sesshomaru let you mate her. You can't even survive without Daddy's little sword."

InuYasha growled as he flexed his claws as he ignored Miroku's plea for peace between them. "Do you want to test my claws, wench, and see for yourself that I don't need it?"

"The way I see it, there's three of us and one of you," Toran said, nodding to her siblings behind her as they flexed their claws in response. "Bring it on, mutt."

"Oy dog breath leave them be." Koga rolled his eyes. "They look like they'd cry if you even snarled at them wrong."

Ayame glowered at her mate as squabble began to involve more and more people in the camp. "We're allies of the panthers, you idiot," she hissed at her mate.

"Friends, I think we should focus on the topic at hand—" Miroku began, only to be interrupted as InuYasha and the others continued sniping at one another.

"Enough." Sesshomaru's calm rebuke rang through the clearing and everyone immediately ceased.

"Figures," Kagome muttered to herself. She could have screamed all she liked and nothing would have changed but Sesshomaru said one word and everyone stopped fighting.

"This is a war. You will all conduct yourselves with the highest honor." Each word from Sesshomaru's lips seemed to cause the camp to straighten further. "You will not bicker amongst yourselves like children and you will not fight amongst yourselves and waste valuable energy and resources. Panthers, you will assist Totosai in ensuring all weapons and armor are reviewed for damage and repaired accordingly. InuYasha, you will lead the wolves in procuring what items I request of you momentarily. Those with holy power will meet with Kagome and review your defensive and offensive capabilities for proper positioning during battle. If such a yokai weapon's effects can be countered, it will be by those holy powers. Shiyuri, you will lead those remaining with night vision in setting up defenses around the camp. The rest of you would do well to set up camp and then a watch schedule before resting. There will be no chance for rest once Itsetsuhiko arrives."

And just like that, Sesshomaru became the unofficial general of their army, but Kagome didn't get the chance to argue with his high-handedness nor chew him out for whatever he was planning that he hadn't shared with her.

Along with Miroku and Shin, she reviewed their options on how to protect their yokai and hanyo allies against Itsetsuhiko's purifying army and what barriers or other defenses they might have on hand that would protect them all if and when needed.

But, she promised herself, when this was all over, she would not allow Sesshomaru to keep secrets from her any longer, not if he intended to continue to traveling with her. One way or another, he would soon learn enough was enough.

She pushed away her own guilt at doing the same. For now, she needed to focus on what to do about Itsetsuhiko and his bisento. The rest would wait...for now.