Author's Notes: Okay, a few people had a problem with the fact that it was somewhat ambiguous who was speaking at the beginning of the last chapter, so let me just say that that was intentional. I wanted you to think that it was Kagome speaking at first, both to throw a bit of a curveball, and (frankly) to sort of make fun of Kagome's tendency for melodrama throughout the story…

Anyway, that being said, I'd like to suggest that everyone please close their history books for the duration of the chapter (and probably for the duration of the story, for that matter). In fact, you might want to close those geography books too…just in case…

(--grin--)

Missing in Action

Chapter 20: Out of Sight

They moved slowly but steadfastly, for Hojo's injuries were by no means healed yet. Koharu's inclination had been to wait a few more days, but her patient had insisted that they leave as soon as possible, though he had not divulged a reason for this haste – only that it was of the utmost importance that they reach Miroku as soon as possible. She had tried to convince him to rest awhile longer, but to no avail – and so, only two days after his arrival, they had set out on a careful trek in search of Resistance Headquarters.

That had been three days ago. They didn't speak much over the journey, both to avoid attracting the attention of any passers-by who might appear, as well as for the reason that Hojo needed all of his energies merely to keep going. When his injuries were ailing him she offered her shoulder for support, or they would stop to rest awhile, but overall they maintained a steady pace.

The terrain here in this part of the forest they were traveling in was rough and brush-filled, difficult to navigate safely, so Hojo had his good arm slung across her shoulders, and they loped along carefully, like entrants in a rather slow three-legged race. She could hear his breath beginning to come in pants, punctuated every so often by a sharp inhale and a tightening of muscles as pain gripped him.

"I told you, we ought to have waited," the young woman admonished.

"This couldn't wait – I've taken too long as it is. I just hope it won't be too late once we get there."

Koharu glanced over at his profile with a frown. "Just what is it that you have to tell Miroku? Is he in danger?"

Hojo shook his head slightly, grimacing slightly as his side twinged again. "Not as far as I know – that's not what the message is about anyway."

"Well then what is it?"

"I can't tell you," he replied simply.

"Why not? Don't you trust me?" she questioned, slightly hurt.

"No – it's not that, Koharu," he assured her quickly. "It's just…I have my orders. If Miroku wants to tell you once I tell him then fine, but this is too important for me to just go blabbing it all over the place."

Koharu didn't respond, and the pair lapsed into silence once more.

After a few minutes during which the only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the wind and the cracking of twigs and branches beneath their feet, she spoke again, rather quietly. "I don't think it's much farther – we should be there soon."

"How will we know it when we see it?" Hojo asked.

"Miroku said to look for a 'Y' shaped tree near the top of a rise—look!" she suddenly came to a halt and pointed toward a tree that matched the description she had just given. "That's it, I'm sure of it…"

"So now what?"

The young woman bit her lip, trying to recall the rest of his instructions. Perhaps in all that time she had spent daydreaming about reuniting with him one day she ought to have concentrated a bit more on the practical details of, say, how to find him, rather than simply how she would greet him when she did…

"Oh! Now I remember – there's supposed to be a trap door at the base of the tree, covered in dirt and brush. Here, just wait here for a moment – I'll find it."

It took about ten minutes of circling the tree and pulling aside dead branches, brushing away patches of dirt before she found the edge of a metal door peaking out from the soil. Soon she had located the handle and pulled it open to find a dark, narrow passageway with a ladder leading straight down into nothingness. "I'll go first so I can help you if you need it," she offered, and Hojo nodded his assent, prompting her to begin the careful climb into the black abyss.

She lost count of the steps somewhere along the way, all sense of space and distance cut off from the moment they closed the trap door behind them, blocking out the light. By the time she found solid ground beneath her feet, she had no idea how far underground they were – as far as she knew, they could be twenty feet, or they could be twenty-thousand feet below the surface. Following the sound of Hojo's muffled grunts as he made his way one-armed down the ladder, she reached out and helped guide him to the floor.

"There ought to be a door somewhe—" she began, but broke off in mid-sentence when all of a sudden they were blasted with a broad shaft of yellow light, the sound of a metal door banging against stone wall reverberating around the chamber. Blinking against the shock to her corneas, Koharu squinted at the figure silhouetted in the doorway, registering the telltale click of a rifle safety.

"Who's there?" a voice demanded in a no-nonsense tone.

"Please, don't shoot," she said quickly, startled out of her wits.

There was a brief pause. And then… "Koharu?" the voice said questioningly.

That was when she recognized it.

"Miroku!" she exclaimed with nothing short of elation as she flung herself forward into his arms, ignoring his startled "oof" at the sudden impact.

"Koharu…how did you—why did you…what are you doing here?" the man questioned, somewhat flustered.

Koharu mistook his nervousness for delighted surprise, and rewarded him with a heady kiss. When she pulled back she gazed deeply into his eyes. "I had to see you," she said passionately. "I couldn't bear being apart from you, not for another minute. We belong together – after all, don't we deserve some happiness?"

"Ah…Koharu—"

"Is everything alright Mir—" Another voice stopped short as its owner rounded the corner to come face to face with the little reunion going on in the hallway. Taking in the sight before her – this anonymous young woman with her arms around Miroku's neck, and the latter with his hands on the young woman's waist – Sango brought her arms up to fold gracefully over her chest, her eyebrows raising and cheeks drawing inward into a "just what exactly do you think you're doing now?" expression.

"Who's that?" asked Koharu curiously, noticing the odd expression with which the older woman was regarding them.

"Ah – nobody," he answered quickly – immediately regretting it when he saw the flames spark in Sango's usually lovely brown eyes.

"Is that so?" Sango said with a dangerously light tone.

"No—no, Sango, I didn't mean—" he began to protest, making a move toward said woman as he attempted to diffuse the bomb ticking in her expression – but unfortunately the woman around his neck wasn't quite ready to let him go.

"Who is she, Miroku?" Koharu asked again, a little more troubled this time.

"Who is she, Miroku?" Sango echoed, nodding pointedly at his human necktie.

"Ah…funny story, actually…" he began, stalling for time.

"Sango, is something the—" came yet another voice around the corner, only to stop in a similar fashion as Kagome discovered the little tempest in a teabag taking place before her. "Ah – okay then, I'll just be on my way…"

However, just as she was about to turn back the way she had come, the forgotten participant in this little scene appeared stun-faced in the doorway that led to the dark room from whence Koharu had appeared. For a moment Kagome and Hojo merely looked at each other, neither one quite believing that what they saw could really be true.

At last, Kagome whispered, "Hojo…?"

"Kagome…" he murmured.

In a few short strides she was in his arms, tears rolling down her cheeks as she cradled the back of his head in her palm, clutching him to her as though to be certain that he was not an illusion. "H-how?" she asked between shaking breaths. "They told me you were dead – this can't be…"

"Kagome, I've missed you so…" he murmured into her neck, stroking her ebony tresses and pressing a gentle kiss to her jaw.

Finally she pulled back, cradling his face in her hands and looking into the countenance she'd been certain she would never see again. "What happened?" she said weakly, still at a loss. It was as though she'd gotten used to an upside-down world, and all of a sudden it had been turned right-side-up again.

"It's kind of a long story – but that doesn't matter now. Seeing you makes everything seem so…unimportant…" he said gently, pulling her back into his arms. She closed her eyes and returned the embrace.

In light of this rather more important reunion, the other three had fallen silent for the time being, captivated by the sight – however Miroku and Sango both looked upon it with a certain sense of apprehension, putting aside their differences for the moment to exchange a look that asked, "but what now…?"

What now indeed…

Twenty minutes later, the new arrivals and the senior agents of the Resistance cell had convened around the conference table to receive the information that Hojo had been sent to deliver.

"We've received word from the Allied High Command that – based on the information collected from various cells, including this one, as well as their own intelligence and reconnaissance operations – they have determined that the Nazis are planning a counter-operation intended to undermine the Allied offensive known as the Doomsday Operation. General Naraku, the mastermind behind the counter-offensive, plans to lead his troops into France by way of a more southerly route, through an area that has not been considered to be of strategic significance for some time, and therefore is virtually bare of soldiers. Only one bridge remains undamaged within this region, so therefore the High Command has been able to identify Naraku's crossing-point as the small border town of Ville du Pont.

"The Allies are preparing to launch an operation to head off this plan. Because the success of Naraku's counter-offensive depends heavily on his ability to cross the Rhine at this particular place, a unit is being sent in with orders to destroy the bridge and stop them at all costs. However, because there is a limit to the number of soldiers they'll be able to deploy there without attracting too much attention, and because most of our Allied troops are being configured for the first wave of the D-day invasion, the Command requests that we send as many agents as are willing to assist them."

Henri nodded, brow furrowed in thought as he gazed seriously at the table, taking in the young man's information. "I see…" he murmured. "We'll begin making the necessary arrangements immediately." Then he lifted his eyes and acknowledged Hojo with a short nod of approval. "You've done good work – now go get some rest and let those injuries heal, understood? Dismissed."

Chairs scraped against the cement floor as everyone present moved to exit the room, most heading off to help with the plans for sending aid to the mission just described. Only Kagome and Hojo remained where they were, side-by-side at one corner of the quickly emptying conference table. Hojo took Kagome's hand in his and looked lovingly over at her. She returned his affection with a squeeze of the hand and a small smile, though her eyes were full of questions.

When at last only they were left, she gave voice to one of those questions. "What happened?" she whispered.

Guilt swam in his eyes as he replied, "I'm so sorry – I wanted to reach you somehow, to tell you I was alright, but it just wasn't possible. I was on a reconnaissance mission when my regiment was ambushed – we got separated, and I never did find my way back to them."

"But they told me they'd found you, that you were wounded and had died before they could save you," she protested. "The telegram said—"

"Things were falling apart by then," he explained gently, "There must have been some sort of mistake in all the confusion. Look, I can't tell you exactly what might have happened, because I don't know myself – but the important thing is that we're together now. We'll never have to be apart again."

Kagome looked into his eyes at that last statement, then looked away with a small, wry breath. "It's not that simple…" she began, not exactly sure where to go from there.

A frown crossed his expression. "Why not?"

She couldn't look at him, wasn't even exactly sure what she intended to say until she was saying it. "I…I thought you were dead. For three years I've thought that you were dead, that you were never coming back. Do you have any idea what those three years have done to me?"

"Kagome – if there had been anything I could have done, anything to let you know that I was alright—" he said quickly, almost pleading for forgiveness.

"I'm not blaming you, Hojo," she interrupted gently. "It's not a matter of fault…it's just that—can't you see? I'm…I'm not the same person I was when you left. I'm not that girl anymore…"

"Of course you are – I don't care that you've joined the Resistance, that you've had to become a fighter in order to survive. Kagome, do you really believe for a second that anything you've done could make me stop loving you?"

"No, Hojo…you still don't understand…"

"But I do," he protested with a bemused smile. "Don't forget, I know you better than you know yourself. You're afraid that I only wanted you as long as you remained a sweet, unassuming housewife for me to come home to, that I'll be repulsed by the fact that you've been forced to fight…maybe even to kill…"

Kagome sighed, trying a different tack. "What if I told you that I've been sleeping with a Nazi for information for the past two years?"

"I don't c—what?" Hojo stopped short mid protest, stunned.

The woman replied with a serious nod.

"You…you…" he stuttered, apparently rendered incapable of speech. "But you and I never even…I mean…wow…" he finished on an exhale, glancing away. His hands went limp over hers as he tried to take stock of this new information.

Kagome watched him almost pityingly, a part of her regretting the loss of his innocent mental picture of her – yet another part knowing that it was for the best.

"I don't care," he replied at last, turning back to regard her resolutely. "It wasn't your fault – you thought I was dead. I'm sure you were only…doing what you had to do."

She looked back at him in mild surprise. Apparently she wasn't the only one who had changed – the Hojo she knew probably would have keeled over at the thought of her sleeping with someone else. But nonetheless, his forgiveness of her indiscretion ultimately changed nothing.

"I love you, Kagome – that will never change," he said unwaveringly.

She merely smiled a sigh in response.

Putting the subject to rest for the moment, Kagome asked quietly, "Will you be going with them?"

"On the mission? If I'm well enough by then. Otherwise I'd be more of a hindrance than a help. Just think, Kagome – this mission could mean the difference between our winning the war and losing it. If we're successful, the whole thing could be over in a matter of months – maybe a year. I heard that one of the top generals is even sending his own brother out in command of this mission."

Kagome's eyes widened slightly, snapping to Hojo's. "One of the generals' brother is leading the mission? Which one?"

"I don't know – but they say the guy is an expert on the situation. Apparently he has some sort of connection with one of the Resistance cells."

Her heart clenched in her chest at this, for she knew exactly who Hojo must be talking about. "Oh my god…he's leading the attack…"

The man before her frowned slightly in confusion. "Kagome? Is something wrong?"

She turned back to him, at a loss for words. How do I explain?

"Kagome?"

At last, she took a deep breath. "Hojo, I know the man you're talking about – he was a…friend of mine, I guess. He showed up in Asile a couple of months ago, injured, and we took care of him, Sango and I. That was how he got mixed up in all of this…"

There was a pause, during which Hojo began to regard her somewhat suspiciously. "There's something else you're not telling me, isn't there."

"Yes…" she said hesitantly. "You know before, when I tried to explain to you that I've…changed? Well, the thing is…"

The light faded out of his eyes to be replaced with understanding. "You're in love with him…"

She nodded silently. "I'm sorry…"

Henri slipped his reading glasses from his nose, setting them aside and closing his eyes to pinch the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, elbows resting on the map-covered desk before him. He'd been debating potential travel routes with himself for the last hour – this one safer, that one faster, this one more practical – and still had yet to make a final decision. He could only hope that these decisions might spell the beginning of the end for the Germans, and for this godforsaken war.

There was a brief knock at the door, but before he'd even had a chance to say, "Come in," Kagome had entered the room and strode over to stand before the desk.

"I have to come with you," she stated firmly, without preamble.

"Kagome…" he began in weary protest – but she interrupted.

"No – don't give me that bullshit about me being a woman. I have to come with you on this mission. Inuyasha is leading it."

His eyebrows raised at that. "Is that so? How do you know that?"

"Hojo," she responded. "He heard a few things, and I pieced them together. Now do you see why I have to go?"

"No, Kagome, I can't say that I do. Look," he continued, holding up a hand to silence further protests, "The fact of the matter is that you are a woman, and while you may be a very good agent, the battlefield is a bit different. This is not a spy operation – this is combat we're talking about."

"I don't care!" she said fiercely, then closed her eyes a moment in an effort to control her stress-induced temper. "This is an important mission, and we need all the help we can get. Besides, I'm sick and tired of being the one waiting at home to hear news of the deaths of the people I love – I'm not going to do it anymore. If I'm there at least I may be able to do something to see that he gets home safe, and if I can't then I'd rather die trying."

"This is exactly what I'm talking about," Henri said with a shake of his head. "You're too emotionally involved – you won't be able to make clear, objective decisions. You could risk the entire success of the mission."

"No," she protested. "Look, I'll admit that I have some very personal motives here, but you said yourself that I'm a good agent. I know what's at stake, and I know what it means to put my life on the line for the good of the cause – for god's sake, I've been doing it for nearly three years now. Please…just let me go…"

Henri released a heavily reluctant sigh, gazing unfocusedly at the faded, battle-scarred photograph of his wife and children that was sitting on his desk. "Very well."

A/N: I'm in sort of a hurry today, so not much to say about this one. Till next time…