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He would never tell anyone he was nervous about the idea of Kagome being a part of the Kendo Club. He would also never tell anyone that the rest of the boys were equally nervous. Honestly, afraid was a better word.

When the door slid open, however, every man in the room had a blank facade pinned in place. They were ready for anything the girl would throw at them.

Yeah. Right.

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Kagome slid the door open with a confident flick of her wrist. A smirk on her face, she strode in, carefully removing her shoes, as was proper, and made her way into the main dojo room.

'Looks like the boys are all ready to play,' the miko thought slyly, stopping in front of the stoic Morinozuka boy and executing a short precise bow.

"So, what do I need to prove in order to get in here?" She heard a snort to her left, but kept her intense gaze on the tall senior in front of her. She would not become distracted and reach out to punch the idiot that had made that noise.

"What do you know of kendo?" Mori asked, wanting to gauge what she needed to learn should she pass the initiation.

"Absolutely nothing." He blinked in surprised and stared at her for a second before catching himself and clearing his throat.

"Nothing. Then why did you request to join our club?"

Kagome shrugged and actually looked uncomfortable for a second, rubbing the back of her head and shifting her feet. "Well, I was thinking that I could use a less violent outlet for my emotions rather than beating the crap out of every rich preppy bitch that sneers at me." She ignord the general wince at her crude language and continued. "I mean, I kinda promised my mom I would be serious about making it through my last year of high school without getting thrown out of Ouran. I guess she really wants me to make something of myself. And she's my mom. She's had to put up with all the crap I've ever put her through. So, why not make her a little proud of her messed up oldest kid."

At the surprisingly deep explanation, some of the boys glanced at eachother and looked somewhat molified by their initial terror. Perhaps they had misjudged the eccentric girl?

Despite the truth behind her words, the miko was wanting something more than a little anger management. She wanted some entertainment in this school.

Taking a deep breath, Mori centered his focus and nodded. It was a legitimate explanation; though not ideal in any sense of the word.

"Besides, Onii-sama could use a blade and kick some major ass. If I'm going to even attempt to surpass him one day, I suppose I need to at least learn the basics." And there was That Look again. One he was quickly coming to know would mean intense amounts of pain for anyone in the vicinity.

The Stoic Host coughed out a breath and shook his head, noticing the way his fellow members swallowed in fear.

They really were all doomed.

Inwardly, Kagome flashed the victory sign. 'Strike One!'

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She grimaced in annoyance. The dojo didn't have clothes her size, so her temporary hakama and haori were a bit large on her petite frame. To be safe, she'd left her tank top on under the haori. Striding into the padded area, she executed a proper bow to Mori after realizing he was the only one in the building and pushed the sleeves up a little when they fell over her fingers. Even the smallest boy in the dojo was bigger than her!

"So, now what?" the miko asked. Mori sighed and rolled his shoulders.

"Now, we see what you can do," the taller senior replied, motioning for her to follow him outside. "We start with laps. Fifteen around the dojo and stretches to warm up."

Kagome simply nodded and fell into line with the rest of the group waiting on the grounds. They took off and she trailed to the back purposely, keeping her breaths even and pacing herself accordingly. When everyone was finished, she was barely winded and stretched her arms out as she watching in disgust as some of the members collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"Up! Into the dojo to stretch!" Mori commanded, his deep voice cracking like a whip over the air. Everyone scrambled inside and went to work.

Nearly half an hour later, the shrine maiden was presented with a wooden training sword. The boys in the room watched as she gave it an experimental twirl, switching from hand to hand with a dexterity that had many swallowing in horror.

"Split into groups. Beginners, over there. Intermediates, here," the Stoic Host spoke up again, separating the crowd by rank in the club. Kagome automatically moved with the beginners, crossing her arms and casually leaning against the wall of the dojo as she observed the goings on. She was honestly surprised that Mori was speaking so much, but then, he commanded a level of attention that was becoming increasingly hard to ignore. It reminded her of Sesshomaru's work with his army she'd been forced to join to toughen up.

And the taiyoukai had been nothing short of viscious. That had been the most painful three years of her life in the Sengoku Jidai.

A hand on her shoulder jolted her out of her reminiscing nightmares of the white-haired youkai and she immediately slid away into a defensive stance, her back against the wall and her arms fisted in front of her face for a nice jab. Just like Sango had taught her. Mori gave her an odd look, checking over her stance and commiting it to memory. What would have happened to her to make her react like that?

"Come. You need to learn proper stances," the tall Host murmured, holding out a hand for her to take. When Kagome just gave him an odd look, he dropped the propriety with his hand and jerked his head to an open corner that they could work in. They stopped in front of another boy, a 3rd year by the name of Samehada Hiro; she later found out that the jerk was the co-captain of the Kendo Club. With a nod, Mori turned her over to his fellow Kendo user when he was called over by one of the other members.

"Right. Let's... get to work," Hiro smirked, ready to discount the little girl standing before him and giving him the most annoying glare. She'd snubbed him yesterday, and he was going to get back at her.

Another hour and a half passed with practice swings and stance work. Kagome wasn't surprised that her arms were aching and sweat was gathering in the folds of her borrowed clothes. It had been a while since she'd worked like this. But, she was also proud of herself. The miko hadn't once complained or quit, despite being put through drills that she was sure weren't beginner's skills.

"Tch! You're footwork is atrocious!" Hiro growled, nudging her footing over harshly and knocking her off-balance. She tumbled to the floor unexpectedly, her wooden sword clacking to the ground and gaining the attention of some of the other boys. She heard the snickers and the whispers and automatically felt her face flush hot with humiliation.

"I'm only as good as the teacher," Kagome quipped back acidly, standing to her feet again and picking up her sword. Honestly, after the stupidity she'd been put through in here, she'd come to the conclusion that she simply wasn't suited to kendo. Sesshomaru had taught her to be quick; that though she was small, if she was faster, her strikes would be that much more dangerous. The youkai had completely altered her sword-training from Aisian based to European.

She was hell with a rapier. It was thin, light, and deadly efficient for her stature.

"What!" Hiro snapped, taking a place across from her and holding up his practice blade. She knew a challenge when it was presented to her. The idiot wanted to soothe his obviously bruised ego, but she wasn't going to be his entertainment. Instead, she dropped the sword and waved him off.

"I've decided that I'm not as suited to kendo as I would like to be," the miko responded, nodding at Mori from across the room. He understood. Not everyone could do it; and while he commended her on her perseverence today, he had noticed it too. Kagome would be better suited to something that let her moved quickly.

"So, you're just going to quit? I knew you girls were weak!" Hiro gloated, raising his sword over his head and tapping it on his shoulder with a smug grin on his face. Kagome's blue eyes, which had been dull and emotionless, flashed in righteous fury at that statement. She whipped around, snatching up her discarded sword, and lunged for the boy faster than he could process.

"NO!" Mori shouted, leaping at the duo. He heard a deafening crack, knowing he was too late, followed by a scream that sent shivers down the other boys' spines. Hiro lay on the ground, clutching his dominant wrist in agony as he writhed around and squirmed. Kagome stood above him, her wooden blade poised and a truly disgusted expression on her pretty face. It'd been a long time since he'd seen someone move that fast.

"If I ever hear you say something like that again, I'll break more than you're damn arm," she spoke softly, but with a razor sharp clarity that every person in the room heard. "If girls are weak, then you must be the girliest one of all, because you just let me defeat you."

Dropping the blade, she faced Mori and his disapproving frown and simply shrugged. "He was asking for it. Be happy I showed him mercy. I've sent people to the hospital for less." With that, and a short bow to the Stoic Host, she swept from the room, an artic chill following in her wake. No one would meet her gaze. They were all terrified that she would pick her next victim.

She honestly didn't care. Once she changed and slipped on her shoes, she slid the shoji door closed with a soft tap belying her fierce temper.

A few moments later, one of the boys spoke up. "None of this leaves here?" A chorus of affirmatives followed that question and Mori rubbed his forehead. Kagome was the most imtimidating girl he'd ever met.

'But her form was perfect.' He couldn't help but think she looked like a warrior in that instant. It was beautiful.

That... was going to complicate things. A lot.

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A/N: Don't think I don't see these getting longer. I do. And I am smacking myself because I can't seem to cut down on the information! But I guess you guys probably like that. Haha!