Kagome saw a male walk out of the house they had stopped in front of. He approached slowly, letting Aya finish what she was saying. Kagome fidgeted slightly, eyeing the approaching male warily. He appeared to be in his mid to late 40's, about 6ft tall, with strawberry blond hair in a close cut military style. His presence was intimidating and he was clearly still in active physical training daily. His face was a mask of cold indifference.

Kagome shifted back slightly, drawing Aya's attention.

"Uh… Aya… I think—" Kagome stammered.

The male stopped beside Aya and draped an arm over her shoulders.

Aya turned to him and smiled. "Hi, Mike."

The male's eyes didn't leave Kagome.

"You doubt my abilities, Miko?" he asked in a deep baritone, one strawberry blond brow raised.

Kagome's eyes went wide as she looked to Aya. "I thought you said he was kitsune?!" she squeaked.

Aya elbowed him in the ribs.

The male started laughing and turned to walk back to the house. "Who the hell did you think I was, the Western Lord, old icicle ass himself?"

At that comment a woman who appeared to be in her mid 40's with short black hair and chocolate brown eyes peeked out the door.

"Mike, be respectful. And bring the girls inside. We need to introduce them and iron out a training schedule," she said with a grin.

Kagome looked at Aya, her eyes still wide. "She looked familiar…"

Mike laughed even more as he led them into the house. "I would think so. Mio's family is from here. Her sisters came back to the Tokyo area when we left Okinawa."

He took the girls into the living room where Mio and a few others were sitting. Aya looked around the room then froze. She grabbed Kagome's arm, halting her in the doorway. Kagome squeaked in surprise.

"He's not supposed to be here," as she looked from Mike to Mio, then to the other non-human male. "You're not supposed to be here."

The male in question stood. He was a little taller than Mike, pale skinned with golden hair and bright green eyes. He approached Aya and Kagome, his eyes glued to Aya.

When he was close enough, he whispered to them, "the gods needed a full intervention. I was sent to help you train."

Aya just looked at him. "That's not how it's supposed to work." she growled.

He gently touched her cheek. "Aya… Do you not trust them to have this fully under control?"

Aya looked down. Kagome took the momentary silence to look to the others in the room.

Mio was closest to the trio. She stepped over, concerned.

"Is everything ok?" she asked quietly.

"May we borrow a space to talk privately with Elias for a moment?" Kagome asked.

Mio nodded and led the three to a study down the hall. Before she closed the door, she turned and spoke softly.

"One of my sisters is a miko. She put a sound barrier on this room so important matters could be discussed without curious ears listening in. My mate isn't one to pry, but you never know who could be standing outside. Feel free to join us in the living room whenever you're ready."

Once the door was closed, Aya pounced on Elias.

"What the hell is going on? Don't tell me he's fighting it that hard… Is he?" she demanded.

"He is. Amaterasu sent me to help you train and to bring in additional resources. Before Kagome returns, I'll be sent for," he replied.

Kagome looked between the two Soul Riders, confused.

"Who's fighting what? And what additional resources? What's going on?" she questioned.

"Your soul's mate, Kagome. What you accepted quickly, he fights tooth and nail. And the resources will be made known in due time," Elias answered as he winked at Aya.

"Kags, we're still not allowed to tell you who he is. Even if things have changed," Aya told her. She turned back to Elias. "Still doesn't explain why you're here instead of helping with him."

Elias sighed in exasperation. "Aya, Amaterasu sent me here. She and the others have things handled for now… But Kagome's training will need to be more thorough, thus my presence and the additional resources."

Kagome was frustrated and confused. "Then let's go get this training crap done," she grumbled, opening the door.

The three went back to the living room where Mike, Mio, and 5 other males were waiting. Mike looked at the three returning figures.

"We all good, now?" he asked them.

"You know it, Mike. " Aya said.

"Good. Kagome, Aya says you need to be battle ready in a short time frame. True?" Mike asked.

Kagome just nodded.

"Okay, then. We'll need to get the ball rolling ASAP. I don't know about combat training here, but I do know American military training. These 5 seated here are among the best I had the pleasure of working with, stateside." Mike told them. "Introductions." He pointed to the nearest of the males.

He nodded to her. "Paul Reede, US Marines." He was about Mike's height with dusty brown hair in a military crew cut and pale blue eyes.

Mike waved to the next man. "Daniel Lee, first sergeant, US Marines." Daniel was a little shorter with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

They turned to the next man. "David Gregory, US Army." David stood about 5ft 6in with blond hair and blue eyes.

The next man spoke as soon as David was finished.

"Brigadier General James West, US Army. It's a pleasure to be of assistance, ma'am," he drawled. James was about 6ft with black hair and brown eyes.

The last man stood before he spoke. He was about 6ft 2in with light brown hair and green eyes.

"Lieutenant John White, US Marines. I'm curious, and I'm sure everyone else here is too. Why does a little slip of a girl need to be combat trained in less time than some of our hardiest recruits?"

Paul started to react to the questioning but Mike beat him to it.

"Stand down, lieutenant. That line of questioning is above your station," Mike barked out.

Yes sir, General, sir," John responded immediately.

As the room grew tense, Aya spoke.

"Mike, Kagome is a trained archer already… Pretty sure what she needs is more in the area of close range and strategy."

David was first to respond.

"Young lady, we'll teach y'all everything we can, but it would be nice to know why we're training up two pretty little girls like yourselves to be killing machines," here he pointed to Elias. "That one is more like we're used to training."

Elias fought back a growl as David spoke. Kagome didn't.

"You don't have to be so condescending! If you don't want to help us, then say so," she huffed."Endurance, strength, skill, power. That's what your military is known for… And now I know it for arrogance, pride, and rudeness too." She leveled the Americans a stony glare. "Good day, gentlemen. I should have known Americans would have no concept of honor in a situation such as this." She turned to Mike and Mio. "Thank you both for your generosity and allowing me to meet my sister. I hope to get to know you both more, while I'm here in Tokyo!"

Kagome quickly walked from the room. Aya and Elias shared a look, then followed after. They found Kagome just outside the door— out of sight and hearing for the humans. She pulled them to the wall away from the door with a finger to her lips, motioning for silence. They heard Mike start to berate the other military men while still others could be heard moving around the room.

A moment later two of the Americans, Paul and Daniel, came into the hallway, clearly attempting to catch the three who just left. The men stopped in surprise when they saw Kagome giving them a bright smile, one finger still over her lips. She waved them closer then whispered to Aya "study."

Elias led Kagome and the two men to the study they were shown earlier while Aya went back to the living room. Kagome barely heard Aya call out before she turned into the study.

"Hey Mike… Can you come here a moment?"

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a/n: Don't nobody go trying to gather a lynch mob over how some of this is written, now... I mean no disrespect to military folk, and I willingly admit I dont know how some interactions would take place. I do know how it all played out in my head, and I actually did quite a bit of editing to try to make it more fitting. And yes, all of my Soul Riders that will be encountered at any point in the story will have the same bright green eyes. It's an identifying characteristic that doesnt stand out too much and other Riders and their Hosts will know.

That said, this is the last I have actually written. It may take me a day or three to get more down, but there will most definitely be more coming.