Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or YYH!

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Chance Encounter

Kuronue flashed his companion a grim look before staring at the double doors before them. Hiei remained stoic, clearly still offended by the joke he and Youko had played earlier on that day. Before Kuronue could open his mouth, an audible, "Come in," could be heard from beyond the double doors.

Taking in a deep, calm breath, Kuronue pushed the doors open and stepped into the dimly lit room with his companion in tow. "Hey Sesshoumaru-sama," he greeted cheerfully, hopefully to lighten Sesshoumaru's sour mood. It didn't work.

"Shut the door," Sesshoumaru commanded in a steely voice. Kuronue immediately kicked the doors shut with a reverberating bang, much to Sesshoumaru's displeasure. "I said shut the door, not kick it shut." he growled.

"Then you should have been more specific." Kuronue muttered incoherently under his breath. "What did you call us for, Sesshoumaru-sama?" he decided it would be wise for his health to be serious around Sesshoumaru when Youko wasn't around. With a beckon for them to come closer, both Kuronue and Hiei complied.

"When you two were assigned to Youko, it was your duty to keep him on duty. He has been known for being extremely playful and having a knack for avoiding his responsibilities, which we ALL know. But instead of you two influencing him, it seems like he has influence you two. If you two are incapable of fulfilling your duty, you will be relieved from it and a suitable replacement will be found. Do I make myself clear?" Sesshoumaru asked coldly.

"All is understood, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kuronue replied through gritted teeth. Sesshoumaru could really get under his skin sometimes. Sesshoumaru turned his attention to Hiei, who hadn't uttered a word since he entered the room. But then again, he hadn't said a word since Youko's joke

"Hn," he snorted his understanding.

"You two may leave." dismissed Sesshoumaru as the two companions ambled out of his room with dark and ominous moods.

When they were a safe distance away from Sesshoumaru's earshot, Kuronue clenched his fists and growled, "Bastard, who the hell does he think he is?"

"Where's Youko?"

"Youko…? Damn, he got a head start!" yelped Kuronue before running off, leaving Hiei standing by himself in the dark corridor. Hiei blinked his ruby-red eyes, snorted, and turned in the opposite direction.

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"Rinku, step forward." ordered Miroku as he pulled out a golden scroll. "I herby declare Rinku, a brave Guardian who had fought valiantly during the battle, a Warrior! With the holy powers bestowed upon me as Supreme Commander of the Army, I take Rinku from his mentor and make him my soldier. Is there any objections?"

Rinku grinned before bowing low.

"What kind of crap was that?" muttered Sango. "Holy powers…does he think of himself as a monk or priest?"

"Sh, Sango." hushed Keiko as Miroku pulled out another golden scroll.

"Momiji, step forward." commanded Miroku. "I herby declare Momiji, a rare beauty amongst the Guardians, a Warrior for her courageous efforts in the battle against the Dark Warriors. With the holy powers bestowed upon me as Supreme Commander of the Army, I take Momiji from her mentor and make her my soldier. Is there any objects?"

"A rare beauty amongst the guardians?" hissed Sango. "Does he think this is a beauty pageant?"

"Sango, calm yourself!" whispered Keiko when several eyes swiveled to the fuming Archangel.

"Shizuru, step forward." continued Miroku, whipping out the last golden scroll. "I herby declare Shizuru Kuwabara, the most outstanding warrior I have had since I became commander, a Captain for her strong will and quick thinking. With the holy powers bestowed upon me as Supreme Commander of the Army, I…hm…well, I guess I really can't take you from myself…" laughed Miroku.

"That idiot!" growled Sango before storming off with Keiko in tow.

"Is there any objections?" asked Miroku, oblivious to the brewing storm in the form of his beloved Archangel.

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"Are you sure you can't remember anything?" prodded Hojo.

"All I remember is silver hair and gold eyes…then I blacked out." Kagome truthfully replied while taking a sip of the hot, green tea Hojo's mother had made for her.

"Gold eyes and silver hair…Ah, then you must have been attacked by a youkai!" exclaimed Hojo, jumping to his feet, startling Kagome with his sudden action, which caused her to spill her tea. "Oh, I am so sorry Kagome-san! I didn't mean to startle you! Here, let me get you another cup while you go change your clothes. I swear I won't look!"

"I trust you, Hojo-san." assured Kagome even though she kept her eyes locked on the back of Hojo's head as she changed. Well, you could just never be to sure when it came to men – even if it was a man who had saved her. "I'm done," smiled Kagome. "You can turn around now."

Hojo handed Kagome a new cup of tea before proclaiming, "I promise to always protect you from harm, Kagome-san!"

"Um, thank you…Hojo-san." Kagome whispered, quickly averting her eyes to her tea. She missed the dark blush that quickly enveloped Hojo's face at her response. "That's really sweet of you." If possible, Hojo's face turned an even darker shade of red at Kagome's compliment. "Is it okay if you give me a tour of your village? I want to walk around – I feel kind of stiff after being in bed for the last three days."

"Oh, of course, I'd be glad to show you around Kagome-san!" beamed Hojo.

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"We will not declare war on the Dark World, especially after that battle three days ago. We need time to recuperate."

"By my lord," began Kurama, "they have the Princess."

"We don't know that."

"The princess disappeared at the exact time the Dark World attacked us. Their target was most likely the Princess."

"Kurama, you are the most intelligent and skilled Deity in heaven, but whereas my daughter is concerned, you don't think clearly." smiled the Queen. "I know how you feel about my daughter and I know she has feelings for you too."

"M-Milady," stuttered Kurama, suddenly at a loss for words.

The Queen laughed softly before giving the deity a warm smile. "My daughter has mentioned to me multiple times of her wish to visit Earth. I always refused. She probably found a way to sneak to earth before the Dark World even attacked. After all, if the Dark World kidnapped my daughter, why didn't they take this chance to kill us too?"

"I…I wasn't thinking." admitted Kurama.

"It's all right; I know how you're feeling at the moment, Kurama. Give orders to cancel the preparation for war. Instead, send out everyone to search the earth for my daughter. However, do this discreetly, there is no need to startle earth's inhabitants or alert the Dark World of my daughter's location. If they find out, then she will really be kidnapped."

"Yes milady," Kurama replied before bowing and exciting the throne room.

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"Shizuru, my lovely, how is training coming along?" Miroku asked as he gave his new captain an once-over. "I must say you look lovely in this new outfit. I would have made you captain earlier if I had known that!"

"Sir, my men's training is coming along perfectly." replied Shizuru, ignoring Miroku's previous comments. "My troops are ready for your orders!"

"Then maybe you'll see me in my chambers after this is over," Miroku whispered huskily in her ear.

A frown marred the captain's face as she, without moving, replied, "Sir, this is of utmost important. This is no time for jokes." Miroku sighed before nodding his agreement. He then moved on.

"Ah, Kazuma, are you ready?" Miroku questioned.

"Of course I'm ready!" the orange-topped warrior replied before flexing his muscles. "My sis would have had my head if I wasn't." he replied, chancing a glance at his elder sister. "She's a slave driver." he whispered while gently kneading the back of his skull. Miroku chuckled slightly at Kuwabara's distraught face.

"Kohaku, how are you coming along?" Miroku asked with a small grin.

"Fine, sir." replied Kohaku.

"That's good to hear," Miroku stated before whispering, "And might I add that you have a very beautiful sister." Kohaku raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment on the matter. After all, Miroku was known throughout heaven for his lecherous ways and thoughts.

"We are all ready for war!" the army stated in unison, causing Miroku to blink his eyes in confusion.

"What war?" he asked.

"The war we were preparing for." Kuwabara supplied.

"This isn't for war…" Miroku trailed off.

"Then what is this for then? A pre-war drill?" demanded Shizuru, clearly unhappy with the news.

"No, no, don't get me wrong! It wasn't my fault! Kurama-sama just gave orders this morning to cancel our preparations for war against the Dark World. According to him, the princess is somewhere on earth. The Dark World didn't kidnap her." explained Miroku. "It was all a mistake, but our new mission is to find her and bring her back here. However, we will do this discreetly because one, we are not to startle earth's inhabitants and two, we don't want to alert the Dark World of our princess's whereabouts."

"We are at your command, sir." Kohaku replied, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Then let's split up and start searching." Miroku commanded. "With the holy powers bestowed upon me as Supreme Commander by the Deity Kurama, you all have permission to go to earth. However, you must all report back to me in a month. You will be punished severely if you are not back by the deadline."

"Permission to speak, sir," stated Shizuru.

"Speak," ordered Miroku.

"First, what was the point of arranging an army if we were just going to split up again? Second, what does the Princess look like?" Shizuru asked, slightly miffed by her Commander's joke.

"The army arrangement was just for my entertainment," Miroku admitted sheepishly, earning several death glares. "As for the princess's appearance, I haven't the slightest clue. But I know she must be exceptionally beautiful! So, all we have to do is round up all the beautiful ladies and one of them is bound to be her!"

Shizuru rolled her eyes and refrained from slapping her forehead in exasperation. Her commander was as hopeless as her bother sometimes.

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"Hojo-san, your village is huge." Kagome whispered in an awed voice. "I've never seen anything like it, but of course, I wouldn't remember even if I did." she finished dejectedly.

"The healer said you'll eventually regain your memories, Kagome-san." Hojo soothingly assured. "Why don't we go for a walk in the fields? It's not far from the village and it has a variety of beautiful flowers."

"That sounds great!" Kagome agreed before hurrying towards the indicated direction.

"Kagome-san, slow down, you'll reopen your wounds!" shouted a distressed Hojo as he ran after Kagome, who was remarkably fast for someone who was supposed to be severely injured. Thankfully, Kagome slowed to a more comfortable pace once they exited the village. "Does it hurt anywhere?" Hojo asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Hojo-san, stop worrying about me."

"All right, but the moment somewhere hurts; you must promise to tell me. I'll take you back home."

"I promise." Kagome felt a small pang at the word home. Was the village really her home now? Where was her home before? Shaking her head, she cleared her melancholy thoughts. She didn't need these depressing thoughts – she was here to enjoy herself today after being cooped up for three days!

She grinned brightly when she spotted the colorful flower fields. "It's beautiful, Hojo-san!"

"I'm glad you like it!" Hojo replied, sounding as if he was the one who had created all this. He watched with a warm smile as Kagome began to collect a bouquet of various flower. "Kagome, your so innocent and beautiful." he whispered before quickly blushing a deep red. He hadn't meant to say that out loud…good thing she was too far away to hear it.

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"The crowning is 11 days from now and the princess is somewhere on earth! This is just great!" Sango growled, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "If she isn't found soon, the crowning will have to be pushed back. As if that isn't bad enough," Sango stopped for emphasis, "I'm stuck with her!" she finished, jabbing an accusing finger at Kikyou. "Damn, don't you know how huge earth is? If she doesn't want to be found, it could take years!" she scowled.

"That is why all the deities are helping as well. They usually don't do this kind of work…neither do us. But this time, everyone's enrolled into the assignment. After all, according to you, this is the Lord and Lady's ONLY heir." Keiko replied soothingly. "And Kikyou's not THAT bad once you get to know her."

"I don't want to get to know her!" Sango spat. "I already hate her when I DON'T' know her. I hate to think what I'll do if I DO know her!" The furious archangel took deep breaths to calm her racing heart

"If Sango-sama and Keiko-sama are done," Kikyou stated frigidly with a stiff bow, "we still have a mission to accomplish."

"You're insufferable!" growled Sango as she brushed passed the High Angel with Keiko in tow. Straightening her back, Kikyou grudgingly followed her two superiors.

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Kagome hummed a small, off-key tune as she picked another Chrysanthemum, adding it to her growing bundle of flowers.

"So I assume it's safe to say you like my flowers?" a seductive voice whispered in Kagome's ear from behind. She shuddered at the feel of hot breath caressing her bare skin.

"H-Hojo?" she asked unsurely. She felt like smacking her head as soon as she uttered the boy's name. Of course it wasn't Hojo! One, Hojo would never have the courage to invade her personal space like that – at least, she hoped not. Two, the boy didn't have such a deep and seductive voice. Three, well…it just couldn't be him!

"You mean that pathetic excuse for a human?"

Kagome quickly stepped out of the man's reach and whirled around to face the stranger. Her jaw dropped as she gaped at the half-clothed youkai, who apparently felt no shame for being slightly underdressed. Tearing her gaze from his muscled arms (though it was far from bulky) and perfectly chiseled chest, she redirected her attention to his face.

"I-It's you!" Kagome accused upon the sight of the youkai's silver hair and golden eyes.

"I'll save you Kagome-san!" shouted Hojo, who had obviously arrived at the same conclusion about the youkai as Kagome. Kagome watched with horror as Hojo charged head on at the unfazed youkai, who seemed fairly amused.

"NO, Hojo don't!"

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TBC

Read and Review. ;)

Here's the basic status order:

King and Queen

Prince and Princess

Deities

High Archangel, Supreme Councilor,Supreme Commander

Archangels, Councilors, Generals

High Angels, Strategists, Captains

Angels, Assistants, Warriors

Guardians

Maidens/Guards

Messengers

Mystic creatures

(For the italizaed section, it means they have equal power, but are from a different branch. For example, the High Archangel, Supreme Councilor, and Supreme Commander have the same amount of power, but they work for different branches of the system - like military, legislative, and etc.)

In case your confused, it's all right...it's not that important.