Kagome knocked quietly on Sango's door, she heard giggling from inside. A loud thud sounded before the door opened, Sango stood at the door smiling as Miroku laid beside the bed twitching.

"Kagome!" Sango said cheerfully, "come in." She stepped out of the way to allow her entry.

"Am I interrupting something?" Kagome asked. Sango looked back at the lump on the floor she called her husband.

"Not really, why would you ask?" She turned back to look at Kagome, "Is everything alright?" Kagome could see the worry in Sango's eyes.

"I think you should take the guys and go home." Kagome said quietly. Panic had taken the place of worry in Sango's eyes.

"Kagome, what's going on? Is Sesshomaru kicking us out? I thought we had matters to discuss, what abou-" Kagome cut her off.

"It's not Sesshomaru asking, it's me asking. Please Sango, I need you safe, the West is about to be thrown into war." Miroku chose that moment to regain consciousness and rolled out of the heap he found himself in.

"War? What war?" Kagome looked over at the very confused monk.

"The Northern dragon clans are moving against Sesshomaru and his house." Miroku looked to Sango and her back to him.

"How can we help?" Sango asked turning to look back at Kagome.

"Go home." Kagome said simply. Sango looked angry.

"We want to help!" She said angrily.

"No, go home, you have three children to think about. This isn't the old days, you have responsibilities and a life outside of battle." Kagome said sadly.

Sango's gaze went to the floor then back to Kagome. "What about you? This isn't your fight." She said helplessly. Kagome's fingers reached up and touched the marks on her face. "Yes it is. When Sesshomaru made me part of his pack, this war became mine."

"InuYasha isn't going to let you do this." Sango said desperately.

"What choice does he have, it's not like I belong to him. I am however going to speak with him. Please Sango, just think about your kids." With that Kagome left Sango's room and made her way to InuYasha's.


InuYasha laid there lounging on his futon, the words Kagome had said to him ran through his mind. He was lost in his own thoughts when he heard a light rapping at his door. He could smell Kagome's scent, but it was muddled by the scent of Sesshomaru. He was still irritated so he said nothing.

"I can hear you staring, just answer the door." Kagome said sarcastically from the other side. Sighing, InuYasha stood and walked to the door.

"What do you want wench?" He asked as he opened the door. Her face said she wasn't amused at being called a wench. When she didn't speak he got irritable. "Well? What the hell do -" his sentence interrupted with the 'sit' command. He noticed the pain was worse than usual before remembering the floor was marble.

"Now then, I'm here to tell you to go home." Kagome said calmly, though the irritation on her face was unmistakable.

"Excuse me!? You're telling me to leave!? After I came all the way here!?" He was furious, how dare she act like he was some intruder in her life. Standing, InuYasha glared at her.

"Yes, Leave." She retorted, before crossing her arms and glaring back at him.

"Did that bastard Sesshomaru put you up to this!?" He snarled, he could feel his face contorting into a sneer, it wasn't long lasting as once again a 'sit' command sent him plowing towards the solid floor.

"Remember who's home you in, you're here, being treated as a guest. And, no, Sesshomaru didn't 'put me up to it'," She said, gesturing quotation marks with her fingers. "I came to this decision on my own." InuYasha rolled over onto his back and glared at her, which she didn't take kindly to. "I said get your things and leave!" She yelled, she seemed almost hysterical, less than angry, it seemed like she was hiding something important. InuYasha felt his face soften.

"What aren't you telling me? If that bastard didn't put you up to this then why are you making me go?" He asked gently, something he would never known to do if it weren't for her. Kagome's breath hitched and she turned her head to look away from InuYasha and responded in almost a whisper.

"There's going to be a war, very soon, I need you to leave, before you're drug into it. This isn't your fight InuYasha." InuYasha just stared at her, she was trying to protect him, after all this time it shouldn't surprise him, but for some reason, it still did, after everything she still wanted him safe.

"A war?" He asked softly before her words fully sunk in, "What do you mean it isn't MY fight, you mean OUR fight right?" Kagome still refused to look at him.

"No, I mean your, the Northern Dragons want war with Sesshomaru's house, my house." She said touching her cheek as she said 'my house'. InuYasha jumped into standing position and put his hands on Kagome's shoulders.

"You only just got here, why should you be fighting!?" InuYasha asked harshly, the sound of confusion and worry tinged his voice.

"Because, it's the right thing to do," She said sadly, "You should pack and-" She was cut off by InuYasha's angry bellow.

"I'm staying here! What makes you think for one second I'd let you fight!? This isn't like Naraku, you'll be fighting hundreds of demons all at once. What the hell is that prick thinking, letting you fight!?"

"He isn't 'letting me fight', I chose to fight." She said angrily, "Nothing you say is going to make me change my mind!" InuYasha's nails dug slightly into her shoulders as he leaned in closer to her face before quietly yet aggressively stating,

"Then I'm fighting too." Kagome was taken aback,

"It's not your fight, InuYasha." She tried to say forcefully, but all her umph was gone.

"If you're fighting, So. Am. I." He said seriously, before his voice turned cocky and he crossed his arms, "Besides, who else is gonna keep you from being kidnapped?" He smirked.

A knock came at the door of Sesshomaru's study. "Enter." Sesshomaru said emotionlessly. The door slid open and there stood the most unlikely of guests.

"Let's get one thing straight," InuYasha growled as he pointed at Sesshomaru, "I'm not fighting to help you, my only mission is to keep Kagome safe."


"I didn't request your assistance half breed." Sesshomaru retorted dryly.

"Whether you want it or not, if Kagome is fighting, so am I." Sesshomaru could tell by InuYasha's tone of voice that he was quite serious.

"Why should I let you fight amongst my soldiers, you have no formal training, no decorum, and the complete inability to follow simple command. You're more likely to get my soldiers killed, then to be of any assistance. A child could do better." Sesshomaru stated

emotionlessly, waiting to see how InuYasha would react.

"That's bullshit! I'll prove it, let me train with your soldiers, I'll show you I can protect her!" InuYasha roared. Sesshomaru fought the sudden urge to smirk, that was exactly the reaction he was looking for.

"If you are to train and fight with them you'll need to be uniform, your current garbs will not be tolerated in the ranks of my army." Sesshomaru picked up and rang his bell, moments later a servant entered, "Inform General Kaii that his second in command will be taking his place in the first wave, he has a soldier he needs to get battle ready. Also obtain a uniform for my guest" With the wave of his hand the servant bowed and left the room to complete his orders. Sesshomaru rang the bell once more and another servant entered.

"Escort my guest to the training area and summon Lady Kagome to my study." Bowing the servant turned and looked at InuYasha,

"If you would, follow me sir."


InuYasha eyed the servant warily, but turned to follow. The servant moved swiftly, it was obvious he knew his way around the manor and by the time they made it to the training area InuYasha was completely lost. The servant stood quietly at the entrance and motioned for him to enter. The training area was huge, large enough to train over a hundred warriors at a time, scattered along the perimeter of the training field were multiple weapons racks each holding many different kinds of weapons. Standing at one of the weapons racks was a tall InuYoukai, with his hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

"You must be the whelp my Lord thinks needs special training." The man said bitterly, before turning to look at InuYasha. "What the hell are you wearing?" The man asked distastefully, InuYasha looked down at his robes.

"Clothes?" He said, more than a little confused.

"Where is your uniform mutt?" It was then a servant walked in with the uniform Sesshomaru had sent for, "Ah, there," he pointed at the servant, "change into those, it's the only set you get and it's the ONLY thing you'll be wearing from now on, so tell the servant to toss your current garbs." InuYasha restrained the snarl he felt coming to his lips and retrieved the uniform from the servant. Not seeing a better place to do so, he stripped down to his fundoshi and began dressing in the uniform. Once dressed he handed his robes to the servant, but instead of ordering them to be thrown away, he asked the servant to have them laundered and given to Kagome. The servant looked confused, but inclined his head and went off to have the robes laundered.

"Now then," the youkai said, "My name is General Kaii, you may call me General or General Kaii, my Lord has taken me from first wave so could make you were prepared or the upcoming battle." General Kaii looked him over, "I see you have a katana, if you would, draw it." InuYasha drew Tetsusaiga but didn't transform it, "You carry a rusted lump of metal as a sword? Throw it away and grab a better one from the rack.

"Yeahhh..." InuYasha said drawing out the word, "that's not happening." General Kaii reached to yank the sword from InuYasha's hands, but as soon as his hand touched the blade his hand began to burn and he yanked it away to inspect the damage. "Obviously you weren't informed of who I am." General Kaii glared at him. "I am InuYasha, second son of the Great Inu no Taisho, wielder of his sword Tetsusaiga, the sword which can cleave through one hundred demons with a single swing, the sword which no pure demon can touch." InuYasha let Tetsusaiga transform. Since the discovery of his father's rank and title, Kagome had been pushing him to understand and embrace the importance of it, today was the day he finally realized why. He could see the realization coming to the general's eyes as to why he had been instructed to train him.

"Very well, your sword is your own, but know this, until you earn my respect, you're just a mutt to me." The general said snidely.