AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry that this is so late. With Halloween and the election, there hasn't been much time to write. I also have to say this was the most difficult chapter to write of all of them, because it really required me to get into the heads of Rumiko Takahashi's creations. I hope I did a good job.

I also promised a big battle this time. Well, I had every intention of doing so, but then I realized that I was going to have to write about six more pages, easy, and that's a little long. So I'll go ahead and post this, and try and get the new chapter up as soon as possible so you don't have to wait too much.

For those of you that read and liked "How Not to Write Inuyasha Horror Crossovers," I do intend to update that at some point. Things just got busy 'round here. I'm also having trouble figuring out how to set up Freddy vs. Kikyo. (But hey, I really enjoyed writing Kagura into Dawn of the Dead...plug plug plug.)

Just a little historical note: the battle cry of Soryu ("He who advances...") is an actual motto used by the Ikki warrior monks, who were active against Ieyasu Tokugawa at the time.

REVIEWER'S CORNER:

Jschu: I'm a history major, so I love adding those little details. Currently, I'm reading The Samurai: A Military History by Stephen Turnbull. It's a great book; I highly recommend it.

Darkless Vasion: Thanks for the notes on Ayame. It'll help immensely in the next few chapters.

Hawker-748: Omake of Kikyo doing a striptease? Hmmm...

Ganheim: Thanks. I did review your story, though I haven't had time to check out your latest chapter. (I encourage everyone to read Ganheim's Inu-Yasha story, "Crossing the Rubicon." It's good stuff.)

DogEars: Yeah, sorry the chapter's late.

Mizurazame: I make it a point to read Shogun once a year. It helped inspire me to get into studying Japanese history, and anime. Probably some of Clavell's style has seeped into this story (at least I hope so), and it's been a huge influence on my ongoing AU Evangelion fic, "Evolution," down to the point where Riana Arashikaze quotes directly from John Blackthorne.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT: What better music than the "Battle of the Mounds" from Conan the Barbarian? It is, after all, where I got Miroku's last line in this chapter. For Kagome and Inuyasha, "The Eternal Knot" by Adiemus works well.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Believe me, believe me

I can't tell you why

But I'm trapped by your love

And I'm chained to your side.

We are young, heartache to heartache we stand

No promises, no demands

Love is a battlefield.

–Pat Benatar, "Love is a Battlefield"

"This is bad ground, Soryu-sama," Kentaro Ishikawa said, staring towards the hill. Saruji Soryu stood next to him, arms folded across his chest, looking impatient. Kagura also stood with the two men. "What does the ground have to do with it?" she snapped. "In those rocks are the houshi, the taijya, and the wolf youkai who are their allies! Attack!" Her eyes narrowed at Soryu. "You have your orders, from your lord and mine!"

Soryu's fingers closed around the hilt of his katana and he glowered at Kagura. "I am well aware of my orders, Kagura!" he shouted, making the feathers in her hair ripple. Visibly, he regained control of himself. "If you were a samurai, which you are not, you would realize that those rocks present a problem. Your Lord Naraku said that there were perhaps four dozen of these wolf youkai. Is that accurate?"

Kagura too was trying not to give into the temptation to simply sever Soryu's head from his shoulders. "Yes," she replied tightly.

"Four dozen–we outnumber them three to one, easily."

Ishikawa nodded. "Yes, sir. But those rocks give them an advantage. Worse, there's only one way we can attack."

Soryu's fingers tightened on the sword, out of frustration this time. "I know, Ishikawa-san. The rice paddies hem us in. The only dry ground is the causeway in the middle–and that is only three horses wide." He turned back to Kagura. "What are these youkai typically armed with?"

"Spears and swords, scavenged from battlefields." She almost added, the same as you, but thought better of it.

"Archers?"

"None." Actually, Kagura wasn't sure about the archers–the wolf youkai she had slain at Naraku's castle had not been armed with bows--but she wasn't going to admit it.

"We could flank them," Ishikawa stated.

Soryu shook his head. "It would be dark by then. They could easily slip around us. No, Kagura-san is right: we must attack. No matter the ground." He looked at the sky. "It also looks like it may rain. I'd rather fight before the ground gets completely unsuitable for horses." Soryu put his hands on his hips. "Right. We will use our archers to cover the advance of the spearmen. They will go forward in three waves. Once it looks as if their line is about to break, we unleash the cavalry. That should rout them, and we can ride these wolf youkai down at our leisure. Almost like a hunt, neh?"

Ishikawa nodded again. "Our arrows won't hit very many of them in those rocks, but it will keep their heads down and allow the infantry to close in and fight."

"Fujii-san!" Soryu called out. Noriaki Fujii stepped from the battle line of gathered ronin and walked forward, coming to attention and bowing. "You will lead the attack. Form your infantry into three battle lines."

"Hai, tono!" Fujii barked.

"Fujii-san," Ishikawa added, "make sure you maintain your discipline if you get into those rocks. These youkai may not choose to fight honorably." He noticed Soryu scowl. Ishikawa knew Soryu wanted an honorable fight, if possible, even though he held any and all who were not samurai beneath him. "They may try to isolate individual units. You need not engage in battle with every youkai you meet–just drive them in front of you. We will send the cavalry in at the right moment."

"Hai, tono. I am not afraid of these youkai. They bleed red like the rest of us. I know what to do." He thumbed back at the massive Totoroki. "Does he?"

Soryu's scowl deepened. Both he and Ishikawa hated the brutish youkai. His strength would be useful, but his lazy attitude and crude ways undercut any usefulness the ronin commanders felt he had. "He will do as he's told," Kagura spoke up.

"Put him in the front line," Soryu ordered. He glanced at Kagura. "Any objections, Kagura-san?"

Kagura smiled. Soryu was obviously trying to get Totoroki killed. "None."

"Good. Fujii-san, you have your orders."

Fujii bowed, turned, and began yelling orders. The ronin fell into line. Ishikawa and Soryu mounted their horses. "Where do you want me?" Kagura asked.

"With the archers, with me, wherever you want," Soryu said indifferently. "Just stay out of the battle. It's no place for a woman." He kicked his horse's flanks, and they rode off. Kagura smirked and walked towards Totoroki. He spit out a blade of grass he had been idly chewing on. "Well?" he rumbled.

"Lord Soryu wants you in the first line."

"Trying to get me killed, is he?" Totoroki laughed. "I should snap that little turd's neck, but since I want to be in the first line, I suppose I'll let him live." He shaded his eyes. "Is Sango there?"

"I believe I saw her."

"Excellent. Let the fun begin." He stood and hefted his club, then exaggeratedly marched to one side of the ronin line. The men there shied away from him until a sergeant shouted them back into place. Totoroki gave Fujii an ironic bow. Fujii ignored him as Soryu rode to the front of the line.

"Men of the Storm!" he called out, using the nickname the ronin army had picked up from their leader's surname. "There are demons in those rocks. They are strong and as cunning as the wolves they claim to be!" He drew his katana and let its blade catch the sunlight. "But we are samurai! We will whet our blades today on youkai blood! The monk and the demon huntress we want alive, but all others are fair game. Today we decorate our armor with wolf pelts!" This brought a cheer from the ranks. Soryu leveled his sword at Totoroki. "And we have our own youkai as well. Do not be afraid of peasant's tales!" Totoroki added his hellish laugh to the cheers. "Remember that he who advances is sure of heaven, but he who retreats of eternal damnation!" He spun his horse around. "Advance, men of the Storm!"

One last cheer, and the ronin started forward in three tight ranks. The archers marched just behind, bows out and ready, with Ishikawa bringing up the cavalry.

Miroku, Ayame, and Sango watched the ronin begin their march forward. Miroku turned to the wolf princess. "You know what to do, Ayame-sama."

She nodded. They had discussed what to do, and had come up with what they hoped was a good plan. She looked back at the ronin army. "So many humans," she said, trembling.

"Their numbers will be their undoing," Miroku assured her. "All we must do is hold until dusk."

"Five hours," Ayame breathed, trying to calm herself. Kouga was trusting her–it was her pack now, and she must somehow bring them through this, buy enough time for Kouga to complete his mission. She reached down, tugged, and came away with two handfuls of grass. Ayame then looked to Miroku and Sango. "May the gods watch over you both."

"And you as well, Ayame-sama," Sango replied. Ayame left to take up her own position, leaving them alone.

Sango stared at the army. "Houshi-sama...we won't hold them for two hours."

"We will, Sango. We must. It's a good plan."

"But it has to work."

"Yes, that's true," was all Miroku said.

Sango paused. "What happens if it doesn't?"

"If Kouga opens the well for Kagome and Inuyasha, our sacrifice will not have been in vain."

Sango tried to force back her tears, but they escaped nonetheless. It wasn't fair. For so long, they had hunted Naraku, both of them for their own reasons–Miroku, to stave off death, and Sango, to get revenge for it. Neither had given much thought to what might happen after that, but deep down, Sango had hoped they would both live. Now they were facing professional, well-organized killers of men, not a horde of often-mindless demons. Sango watched the ronin advance and saw her own death, and Miroku's, among the glittering spear points. She tried to tell herself that if she died, Kagome would get her revenge for her and at least she would have peace, but the words felt hollow. Sango wanted to live, and she wanted Miroku to live as well. For himself, and for her. "Houshi-sama..." She paused. "I mean, Miroku."

He turned to her, his eyes wide. Not once had she ever spoken his name. "Sango?"

"I..." Sango wiped her eyes, smearing her eyeshadow. "I...wanted to say...in case you...or I...don't..."

Miroku reached out and put a finger on her lips. "No, Sango. No last promises or confessions. I know what you want to say. I feel the same. You know that." Abruptly, he grabbed her shoulder, pulled her into an embrace, and kissed her, all in one fluid motion. While Sango's head was still spinning from that, Miroku spun her around for real, and smacked her on the bottom. "Now go, Sango!"

Sango nearly slapped him instinctively, but before she did something she knew she would regret–slapping him or kissing him back–she ran away, drying her tears on the sleeve of her catsuit. "I will find you, Miroku-chan, in this life or the next," she whispered.

Miroku watched her go. Now he was alone on the hill. Abreeze sprang up, ruffling his robes, filling the air with the sweet smell of moisture as rain clouds approached. Below him, almost in arrow range, he could see the ronin marching. The sheer inexorability of their advance made any resistance seem futile, and he knew that was their intention. Yet he had seen worse: Miroku had faced death so many times in his short life that it no longer held any terrors for him. Except that now, he actually had something to live for. He clenched his fists until the knuckles turned white. The hole in his right hand seemed to itch, and he knew just how easy it would be to simply unleash it, and destroy the ronin army in a single strike. Naraku's damned insects were there, but that mattered little at this point. The only thing that kept Miroku from simply destroying his enemies and himself in the process, in a single act of awesome revenge on Naraku and all the injustice in the world, was the lithe girl now running down the slope behind him. For Miroku also wanted to live, and if he was to avoid being killed, he knew he must become a killer of men himself. He glanced around. The wolf youkai were in position. If they could delay the ronin, then they might have a chance. And for that one chance, Miroku would fight.

One last thing to do. Miroku closed his eyes and said a brief sutra, a prayer for those who were going to live and those who were going to die. When he was finished, he opened his eyes and once more watched the ronin come ever closer. "It doesn't matter, really," he said softly. "No one will remember this battle. There will never be a scroll read to the Emperor, or a noh play. All that matters is that a few stood against many. Those that are here today will remember that. And that is enough."

At peace, Miroku stood and waited.

Kagome walked carefully to the Goshinboku, trying to ignore the pain that just walking brought. She knew that she should be in bed, but there were more pressing matters than her own discomfort.

Though her mother had been less than enthusiastic about the idea, Inuyasha had insisted that they try the well almost the minute they had reached the Higurashi Shrine. They had gone straight from the car to the well house, Souta and Kagome's mother trailing behind. With a last promise that she would not stay one more moment than necessary in the Sengoku Jidai, Kagome had allowed Inuyasha to pick her up as if she were made of glass–a quite apt analogy, she felt. Inuyasha and her mother had shared a curious look, then he turned back and they jumped into the well...only to feel the bone-jarring impact of Inuyasha hitting the soft earth. After assorted curses, Inuyasha had nearly given Mrs. Higurashi heart failure by leaping out of the well. She had expressly forbidden them to try again, so Kagome had given Inuyasha the jewel shards, and he had leapt in one more time. Again, nothing but a thump of bare feet on dirt and curses that made their ears turn red. After that, Inuyasha had slapped the shards back into Kagome's hand and stomped out of the well house. Not knowing what else to do, Kagome had followed–but slowly, at a distance, so that the hanyou could rid himself of some of his anger.

Inuyasha leaned against the tree, shaking with anger. Kagome was surprised to see that he was so frustrated that he was hitting the Goshinboku, fists smashing against bark. Her hands went to her mouth as an incoherent snarl burst from him, and claws flashed in the late afternoon sunlight. When she saw bark chips flying, Kagome realized that she had better bring Inuyasha under control in a hurry.

"Inuyasha, sit!" she said firmly, and instantly the hanyou went down, leaving ten parallel scratches in the Goshinboku's trunk.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Inuyasha yelled indignantly, around a mouthful of dirt.

Kagome walked to him and gingerly sat down. "Because you were freaking out, that's why!"

Inuyasha struggled to pull his head up. "Yeah? Well, I got a damn good reason for freaking out, Kagome! I can't go home!"

By the time Kagome had a response for that, Inuyasha had been able to lever himself into a sitting position. "We don't know that, Inuyasha," she said at length.

"Yeah? Well, for your information, Kagome, that was about the tenth time I've tried the well. I can't get through! Nothing works! I'm stuck here!"

Kagome's temper flared. "And that's so bad why?" Before she could stop herself, she snapped, "Oh, I know why! Kikyo is there!"

Inuyasha turned around so quickly his silver hair whipped around his face. "Yeah, she is. So's Sango and Miroku. And Shippo and Kaede. And for that matter, Naraku. You forget in that hospital place?"

Kagome's fists balled, but then she bit back her retort. They could argue for hours, but their situation would not change. "I'm sorry," she said finally. "You're right, Inuyasha. I've been very selfish."

Inuyasha, all too ready for a fight, now had no target to vent his frustrations on. Feeling like a fool, he brushed the dirt from his hair. "How so?" Kagome was about the only unselfish person he knew.

"While I was in the hospital, I had a lot of time to think," Kagome replied. "When you told me you couldn't get back, in some ways I hoped it was true. I hoped we never had to go back."

"How could you think that?"

"Easy. Inuyasha, about all we do in the Sengoku Jidai is fight for our lives, or walk around trying to find the next demon to fight. It scares me–I'm not like you or the others, even Shippo. That sort of violence is something new. Before I got dragged through that well, I'd never seen a dead human being before, not even my father." Kagome idly picked at the grass. "Now I've seen so many dead people that I've gotten used to it. I've even killed."

"Yeah, but you had to do that."

"Maybe. But there's times that when I've gone home, I've thought seriously about never coming back–and not just because I was mad at you or Kikyo or whoever. It's because I don't want to die, and I'm tired of watching people murder each other like they swat flies." Kagome's eyes filled with tears. "Inuyasha, I almost died this time. I saw Mayu–the little ghost we had to save from hell, remember? Maybe it was a dream, maybe it wasn't, but I thought for sure that was it. It wasn't scary at the time, but I've woken up a few times just scared out of my mind, not sure if I was dead or not. I've got a lot to do in my life, Inuyasha. I don't want to die."

Inuyasha leaned back against the tree. "So why'd you keep coming back?"

He half expected her to say 'to restore the Jewel,' but instead she said simply, "You." Kagome put a hand on his arm. "Don't look so surprised. Remember what we almost did the other night." Kagome felt herself blushing, but she wasn't the only one. She took a deep breath. "We could make a life here, Inuyasha. You and I."

"Kagome..." Inuyasha wasn't sure what else he could say. It was tempting, very tempting. In his time, Kagome was at the right age to marry. They would never have to fight again. He could live in peace, for good. He wouldn't have to live only to fight.

And deep down, Inuyasha knew that he loved Kagome.

In the distance, a horn honked. The wind shifted, and the air smelled foul. Overhead, a giant bird of metal whined past. Inuyasha closed his eyes and sighed. This world isn't mine. It's Kagome's. I don't think I could ever belong here. He looked down at her, now nestled against his arm, returning his gaze with her depthless brown eyes, her beautiful face framed by locks of black hair. I love you, Kagome. But I also love Kikyo. And I can't live under the same sky as her killer.

Kagome smiled sadly, reading the emotions on his face as easily as a book. "But we can't do that, can we?" She drew away a little.

"Kagome...I talked with your grandfather...about the war. The big one that he fought in. You know, the one Japan lost."

She blinked in surprise. "He talked about it? He's never said much to me."

"He said he was one of the kamikazes. You know about them?"

"Yes, of course, but Grandpa was one? He told you that?" At Inuyasha's nod, Kagome exclaimed, "He never told me!"

"He lost his friends. I guess that's why he doesn't want to talk about it." Inuyasha got to his feet, and helped Kagome to hers. "He doesn't want me to go back. Neither does your mom. They think if I do, I'm going to die."

Kagome gasped. "Inuyasha!"

He shrugged. "But you know, I'm kinda like your grandpa's friends. They went out, knowing they weren't coming back. And they were comfortable with that, because it was their duty. It's my duty too."

"Duty?!" Kagome shrilled. "To get killed? The kamikazes didn't save Japan, Inuyasha! We still lost the war!"

Inuyasha silenced her with a look. "Sometimes you just have to make a stand, Kagome. Stopping Naraku is my duty. Protecting Kikyo is my duty. Protecting you is my duty. And I failed last time." He shook his head. "Never again. I've got to go back, Kagome. You know that."

Kagome sighed. "I understand," she said after a long moment of silence.

"You do?"

"Yes." She let go of him and stepped over the little fence that surrounded the Goshinboku. "Maybe I've been living in a dream since we got here." She walked towards the house. "Let me get my stuff together. We'll keep trying until we get through. Maybe there's a way we can break through whatever's blocking the well."

Inuyasha caught up with her. "Hey, wait a minute. You're still too hurt. You shouldn't exert yourself too much–" Then it was Kagome's turn to close his mouth with a glance. "Er..."

"You think you're the only one with a duty? Ehhh?" Kagome demanded. "I was the one who busted the Shikon no Tama, Inuyasha. I have my duty too." She abruptly turned and stood on tiptoe, nose to nose with him. "And I'll be damned to all the hells if I sit here and watch you throw your life away."

"W-What do you mean?"

"We are going to get back to the Sengoku Jidai, complete the quest, and restore the Jewel, that's what I mean! And we're going to live, Inuyasha! Do you understand? You are going to live!" To emphasize her point, she poked him hard in the chest with every word. "Do you understand?" she shouted.

"U-Uh, s-sure..."

"Good. Now wait here, I'll be right back."

Inuyasha watched her stride purposefully into her house. He thought about the legend, and what Mrs. Higurashi had said: I don't know anymore.

"Neither do I," Inuyasha said aloud. "But maybe...just maybe...there's a way." He grinned and patted the hilt of Tetsusaiga. "Yeah. There is a way."