Rated: M

This story is rated M for violence, language and sexual themes.

I do not own the shows or the characters.

Chapter 4

Let the training Commence

The following months were a living Hell for the young miko. Sesshomaru had her up at the crack of dawn and worked her into the ground until the moon was high in the sky. Not only was he training her in the way of the sword, with a blade that weighed more than she did but he was also training her in archery, ninpo; which was another name for ninjutsu, taijutsu and battle strategy. On top of all that she was forced to wear armor that weighed a ton and was almost impossible to move around in.

That wasn't all though. Her new lord also took it upon himself to find her a teacher for her miko abilities since it was those powers that would destroy Naraku in the end. It took nearly four months of this constant regimen before she became completely accustomed to it. Once she did though her progress tripled making her feel quite proud. Never had she felt more powerful or capable of handling the role that had been thrust upon her. Now she could fight and control her powers. Now was the real beginning of her training as Sesshomaru claimed she was now in the right shape to really learn from him.

3 months later

In the last three months Kagome had completely transformed herself. If she thought she was strong before her "real" lessons with Sesshomaru she was dead wrong. She could now hold her own against him in a fight. She had mastered her powers to the point where she could now sense every shard in Japan. Her body was never in better shape and was a deadly weapon and on top of it all she was now a confident duelist.

Ifrit had requested that she look into a way for him to stay in her world so he could help her train and when she asked her teacher; an elderly monk by the name of Kotetsu, he told her that she could crystallize her energy and give it her will. The crystal would create its own manna for Ifrit to feed off of so that he could forever stay in her realm. Of course he told her it would be almost impossible for her to do simply because it took years of mastering one's self to gain the control needed but she didn't listen and tried anyway. Turns out it wasn't hard at all which just made her teacher look at her in shock and awe.

Since he now remained in her world the two were rarely apart. They trained together, ate together, bathed together and slept together. They were the best of friends and when they battled together it was awe inspiring. Sesshomaru himself stated he had never seen such synchronization before. Of course Kilala was right there with them through it all. She had been working on her fire attacks and could now create barriers with them which Sesshomaru said was something only the strongest fire neko could do.

All in all they were more than ready to head out and finish this pointless war. It was Sesshomaru stating he wanted them to rest for the next week before leaving that told them he too believed there was nothing left for them to learn that he could teach. In the seven months they had been living with the stotic demon lord a unique friendship had been born. They had opened up with each other and as a result gained a great ally in each other. The following week was filled with relaxation and preparation for their departure. It was on the last night when they were called into the dojo that stated just how much that friendship meant to him.

"Miko, Kaiju, Neko as a symbol of respect and to show you just how proud I am of all of you I present you these gifts. Armor and weapons forged by Totosai himself. All of these are custom made to fit you powers and abilities. Kaiju Ifrit, for you armor and three blades with the crest of the western lands as well as the crest of your partner; the Shikon Miko. Neko Kilala, for you armor with the crest of the western lands and your companion; the Shikon Miko. As for you Kagome; Shikon Miko, Kaijudo Duelist, Priestess of time and space I give to you armor, three blades, a demon bone long bow and an enchanted quiver that will never run out of arrows, all of which bare the crest of the western lands as well as your crest, the crest of the Shikon no Tama. I am honored to call you my allies and my friends." At the end of his speech Kagome and the others bowed in thanks.

"I thank you Lord Sesshomaru from the bottom of my heart for all you have taught and all you have given me. I swear I will bring you honor on the battle field." With a simple nod the demon lord left them with their gifts. He wasn't comfortable expressing his feelings.

"He still needs to work on his people skills but at least he's improving." Ifrit stated with a shake of his massive head. Kilala simply mewed happily at him as if agreeing. Kagome could only stare at her armor and weapons. This was it. Tomorrow they would set out to collect the rest of the shards and then destroy Naraku once and for all. Looking at her two companions she smiled they had both become so dear to her. She swore that she would protect them no matter what.

"Come on guys give him a break. He's come a long way from what he used to be like. At least now he can openly admit we're his friends." Kagome said laughing joyfully. It wasn't long before Ifrit's deep chuckle joined in. Grabbing their armor and weapons the trio headed back inside the palace for a good night's sleep.

At dawn the three were seen standing by the front gates in full armor saying their final farewells and double checking to ensure they had all their belongings. Sesshomaru watched closely as the three interacted. He knew that the miko could handle herself and should she not be able to Ifrit and Kilala would be there. Still he had grown close to her over the months she had lived in his home and so it was with a deep breath that he approached her.

"Kagome I have one more thing I would like to give you. I had this bracelet made for you by Totosai. It will allow you to take on any form you chose all you have to do is picture it. Whether you wish to appear human, demon or Kaiju for that matter you can." The stotic lord placed it around her wrist and then placing a kiss on her forehead turned around and walked back into the palace. All the young woman could do was look on after him with a blush on her face. It was Ifrit's laughter that snapped her out of her stupor.

"Seems to me that he wants to be more than just friends with you little one. Still if you choose him I will not oppose, he is more than strong enough to care for you and protect your offspring." Ifrit would've continued if it wasn't for the sharp sting of her armor clad elbow striking him in the chest.

"So not funny. He does not see me that way and we are not having offspring. Now let's go before anything else happens that makes me question my sanity." With those final words the duelist grabbed onto the rings in his horn and pulled herself up. Kilala transformed to her smaller self; her armor shrinking down with her body, and jumped into the miko's arms. Without any hesitation Ifrit took off at a quick speed in the direction of the nearest shard.

They moved quickly and silently. Over the past seven months the bond between her and Ifrit had grown to the point where they could read each other's minds. She was concentrating on the jewel shards location and acting as a compass for the Kaiju. It wasn't until they broke into a clearing that they saw the demon holding it. It appeared to be a bear but that wasn't what surprised her. No what caught her off guard was the fact that InuYasha and the others were there fighting it.

"Should we intervene or let them continue fighting? I frankly enjoy watching the fool lose." Ifrit stated smugly. Since she had told him about InuYasha he's wanted to get some revenge and seeing how she refused to let him just hunt the fool down and kill him the fire Kaiju figured this was the best he'd get.

"You really have to ask? We intervene of course. I don't have time to waste watching that idiot get his ass kicked Naraku will be doing so before long anyway. We just need the shard to lets go get. There's no reason to interact with them." With those words they charged in, completely catching the bear off guard. All it took was one swing of Ifrit's claws to kill it. Ignoring the shocked looks the duelist simply held out her hand and called the shard to her. It shot from the ground landing in her palm gently becoming completely pure as soon as it touched her skin.

"The fuck?! Kagome is that you? What the Hell are you doing here wench and what is that thing that you're riding on?" The half-demon howled crudely. The others simply smiled at her and waved with the exception of Kikyo who settled for glaring at her in hopes it would scare her.

"Yes InuYasha it's me and this is Ifrit my partner. We are here because of the jewel shard obviously. Why else would I be here? Now if you'll excuse us we have more shards to find and a spider halfling to kill. Later Sango, Miroku, Shippo see you again soon." With a last wave the trio disappeared as quickly as they had arrived leaving behind a fuming hanyou and undead miko and three smirking teammates.

"What the fuck just happened? Did she just blow me off and since when did she have a giant monster at her beck and call? What the hell was that thing anyway and what did she mean by they had shards to collect and a half-demon to kill? As if she could ever be strong enough to destroy Naraku!" InuYasha ranted making an even bigger fool of himself.

"I don't know what to tell you InuYasha. All I know is that Kagome's changed. She isn't some naive little girl anymore. She left because she wanted to prove to you that she doesn't need you and considering the company she's keeping I'd say she doesn't. All you ever did was belittle and insult her. Did you really think she was going to stay and put up with it?" Sango lectured angrily. Miroku stood behind her nodding his head in agreement while Shippo continued to look out in the direction she had disappeared in.

"I don't know about you guys but Kagome seemed different to me. It was like she was in complete control of not only herself but that Ifrit guy too even Kilala seemed to follow her lead. Not only that but the armor they all wore had the crest of the western lands on it." Before the young fox kit could continue the loud-mouthed half-breed interrupted him.

"What the hell do you mean she was wearing the crest of the western lands? Sesshomaru would never let a human wear his mark. You must have been seeing things now let's move out before that bitch gets anymore of Kikyo's jewel shards." With that final gruff command the group moved out, three going as slowly as they could.

Elsewhere...

"So that was the half-breed huh? I thought he'd be bigger. Oh well if he dare challenge us we will simply cut him down, isn't that right little one?" Ifrit's deep tone shook her body gently. She could tell it took everything in him not to rip the hanyou apart and she was grateful for that. They needed him alive to distract Naraku after all.

"Yeah that was him and thank you for holding back. I know how much you dislike him." She whispered softly. She knew he would hear her even if the words didn't reach him. They were moving quickly through the forest heading for a group of shards. They had already gotten four more since the run in with InuYasha and the others. If they kept moving at this pace they would have the rest by the end of the week and then it would be time to face Naraku.

"What I don't understand is why you don't just use that summoning trick on all the shards. I mean if we got you to the right location shouldn't it be possible?" The large canine asked dodging in between trees. He knew that it would leave her drained but it also meant that they would be just that much closer to their goal.

"Well yeah I could but it would alert Naraku to our location and with how drained I would be afterwards it wouldn't be an easy fight. Then again it would also result in Naraku's shard coming to us. If that was the case we would have an advantage over him with the force of our Kaiju allies. We might be able to completely destroy him once and for all." Ifrit noticed the excitement in her voice at the thought of being free.

Even if one could not see them there were chains that surrounded Kagome hindering her movements. They prevented her from moving forward in her life with ease and instead tried to pull her back. When others would offer her affection she could only decline in hopes Naraku wouldn't go after them. Her own family and time had to be sacrificed because the spider discovered what the well allowed. That had been a dark day for all of them and the turning point in the young duelist's life.

After the well was gone Kagome told him how she would return with him to his realm where they would guard the jewel together. Of course she asked if it was ok with him to which he answered with a hug. That hug was what caused the damn to break and all her tears to come rushing out. The young warrior cried for her family, her home and her future. That was also the first and last time he had seen her cry.

He had asked her if she was certain in her choice but she simply said it would be nearly five hundred years before any of them lived once more. It was at that fact that he conceded. Knowing that her family would not yet be born made it an easy choice for her. They would go to his realm and once the time came she would open a portal and they would return to this world. Once that happened he would aid his partner in finding her family and hopefully her father.

"If we are going to do this we have to be at the base of Mt. Hakurai. Once there I will have to go deep into meditation to access all my power. It will be up to you and Kilala to guard me and command the army. I will summon them before entering my trance." The young woman was in full soldier mode now. This was their chance, Naraku would fall and it would be soon.

"I understand, fear not we will defeat our enemy. Now hold on tight it's about to get windy." The fire Kaiju warned before tearing off at break-neck speeds. The miko never knew he was so fast! Still even though falling from him at these speeds could kill her she couldn't stop the giggle that erupted from her pink lips. Her laughter only seemed to fuel the mighty beast beneath her as he picked up even more speed.

It wasn't until early afternoon that they reached the mountain. Once there they set to work in turning the surrounding grounds into a secure bunker. They worked all throughout the night barely resting and once dawn kissed the skies they were ready. Stepping forward the miko summoned all the Kaiju allies she had gained. Aqua Commando was the first she called upon. Seeing her elegant water Kaiju appear before her made her smile before she ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"Lady Kagome it is always a pleasure to see you. Have you been keeping up with your studies?" A.C. asked kindly. He had grown accustomed to her shows of affection and now looked forward to being summoned by her. However sensing the shift in her mood he knew instantly that it was time. The final battle was upon them.

~A.N.~

Yay another chapter, so I've been writing this for a while and just finished typing it all up which is why there're are so many updates and postings all at once. Please rate and review! *Smiles and bows*