A/n: sorry for the very very overdue update, i finally found myself in the right mood for this chapter. Listening the Inuyasha songs really helps, ALOT, so you could listen to it as you read or for any other writers out there its a good method for when you find yourself stuck!! Enjoy, don't forget to review! it'll only take you a moment, :)

Chapter 3

Rin was escorted into a smoky dimly lit room with a table and several men sitting around it.

"Ah, and here is the little angel now," Lord Hachiki said as her and Isao entered the room. He had an empty seat next to him for her to sit but first, she needed to be introduced to all the men that she would be working with. "Isao," he grumbled and coughed at the same time.

"Yes, you must be introduced to everyone," Isao said nodding to her before he looked out at the table. "Well you know the lord of the realm Lord Hachiki," he indicated to Hachiki sitting at the head of the table.

"Second in command, Mobu Harkai," He said nodding to the short thin man with glasses sitting to the left of Hachiki.

"Our Military commander, Garajuki Sienshi," Isao motioned to the tall strong man sitting next to Mobu almost his exact opposite.

"The local highest ranking police chief, Sunshi Waskijunki," Isao's eyes moved to the tall thin and pale man to Garajuki's left. Rin's eye's met Sunshi's and chills were sent up her spin, this man wasn't nice.

"And directly across the table is our Treasurer, Foinbu Genma," He said nodding at the young Chinese man that was the closest to his own age.

"And next comes me, Keeper of maps and military director right under Garajuki," He smiled as he took his place next to Foinbu and then motioned to the empty seat next to him for her.

"Well done Isao," Lord Hachiki smiled at Isao before turning his attention to Rin. "Rin you will be working closely with all these men to help over throw that horrible monster."

"What will I actually be doing?" Rin spoke and she felt as a few sharp eyes were turned on her. She was aware that women didn't have any place in a war but she was now being put on the same level as all these men, she had to be confident.

"You will be working closest with Isao in making strategy also with trying to outsmart the demon, since you know so much about them. Also you will probably be doing corresponding between us and the northern wolf tribe," Mobu spoke and his voice was a lot deeper and more commanding than she had expected. Obviously this man was more into this war than even Lord Hachiki who seemed very lazy.

Rin nodded with a small smile as she glanced at Isao, she would be sure to ask all her questions to him from now on…

After the meeting Rin was escorted back to the room she was previously in and this time Isao wasn't reluctant to join her. She sat at the stool as her finger's gently brush parchment bellow as she watched Isao continue to draw figures on it. She watched him for a while as he painted on a few more mountains and added a river that split the mountains from the forest. Rin wasn't all to interested in the map but the way Isao painted on it with ease. Barely ever did he have to look at another map to recall what and where something should be placed.

Isao tried his hardest to ignore the woman peering at him and his work, it was hard, but he would manage. He didn't really understand why she was watching him but he didn't feel like asking as he continued to plot another forest off the left side of the map. He did notice when she picked up another of his quills and was about to tell her to be careful when she had already pricked her finger.

Quickly Rin dropped the cursed quill that had stabbed her and shoved the finger in her mouth to suck on the little bit of blood. She didn't want to get drops of blood on the little city on the map that Isao had just drawn a little while earlier. She looked up and saw the soft smiling face of Isao as he handed her a little cloth to wrap her finger up in and pulled the sharp quill to the other side of the drawing station.

"Why didn't you tell me it was sharp?" Rin protested as she finished wrapping her finger up in the cloth.

"Why did you not realize that it was sharp? Did you not look at the end before you placed your finger over it?" Isao laughed wondering if this woman had ever seen a quill pen before, probably not she didn't look as if she was literate; she was a woman after all. Though she should have used her common sense to see that if it looked sharp it probably was.

"I guess I didn't realize," she said quietly feeling stupid, she was just a woman, she wasn't suppose to be smart.

"Awe, not don't get like that, it was just an accident we all have them you know?" Isao said placing his paint brush down and turning to her. She was like a child in a grown woman's body, though Isao didn't really mind that, she was here to help.

"Men do not make as many mistakes as women do," Rin said stating what she thought to be fact.

"Now that is not true," Isao said thinking about it, everyone was just human, man and woman were basically the same. Men had some parts that women didn't and women had parts that men didn't but other than that fact they were both the same.

"How do you figure? If a man does something wrong it is ignored if a woman does something wrong she is punished," Rin debated thinking about it, why was it this way?

"Well, because men have the courage to stick up for themselves, do not male children get punished?" He tried to explain but he knew it was hopeless when he saw her confused face. "That is just the way it has come to be I guess, and there is no reason for it, women are just as smart as men just in different areas," he tried to explain it in the simplest of terms, maybe women weren't as smart as men?

"Then I wish to change the way it has become, I wish to punish a man and to be respected as a woman and have the courage to demand when I do something wrong for it to be ignored," Rin said wanting truly to change how things were, if not for herself then for every other woman out there. She could set an example, now that she was here among strong men she must be a strong woman.

"I understand, what do you wish me to do? Treat you as a man?" Isao knew she was on to something but somehow he saw it failing, but he wished truly to help in her cause.

"Yes, treat me as a man, but understand that I have womanly needs?" Rin said thinking about female things that she just couldn't stop. "Treat me like a boy just about to reach adulthood!" She shouted with laughter in her voice and she saw Isao smile as well.

"Very well then, I will treat you as a 12 year old son I always wished I could have," He chuckled at her, "Saw we shave your head?"

"No, we must not go that far," she said as her hands flew to her hair that was twisted up nicely and set in place by a strip of clothe. "It took me a long time to get it so nicely," she stated looking at his eyes knowing that he was only joking. Maybe he was joking about the whole thing? What if he didn't really want to treat her as she wished to be treated, maybe he thought she was joking?

Just that moment the large muscle mass that was Garajuki stumbled into the room and was apparently drunk. You could tell this by the way he stumbled over to the drawing table and slammed his finger to a unimportant spot on the map and yelled, "There! Right there!"

Isao sighed looking at his friend and gave Rin an apologetic look, "Yes, Garajuki." Isao was not very happy for this late night intrusion, especially from a drunkard.

"What is right there! I CANNOT SEE IT," Garajuki shouted as he continually stabbed at the map and began to smudge and slowly rip a hole in the blank area.

"There is nothing there," Isao said impatiently, what went through people's minds when they were drunk he would never understand, and he secretly never wished to experience the sensation.

"NO BUT IN REAL LIFE," Garajuki burst out as he grabbed the map off the table and knocking everything off in the process as the ink and paints crashed to the floor. Garajuki looked down at his feet now covered in ink, not caring he looked expectantly at Isao.

"Nothing it is just grasslands," Isao said wincing as Garajuki began to crumble the map up before he tossed it as hard as he could at the wall.

"Then that is where we FIGHT!" Garajuki smiled evilly as if he was ready now to go on the battlefield and bathe in the enemy's blood.

"Actually, we will not be fighting in that field, it is 15 miles south of where the demon resides," Isao said speaking as calmly as possible as he watched the crumpled map roll into a ink puddle. Not wanting to aggravate this disturbance he just left it as he began to think of a way to persuade Military commander to leave.

Then the room went silent as Rin's laughter reached their ears, and both men turned to look at the young woman laughing with her arms wrapped around her mid-section.

"Do you think something is funny?" Garajuki grumbled as he took a step closer to her, he noticed that the woman did not flinch and continued to laugh. "WOMAN KNOW YOUR PLACE!"

"My place sir Seinshi is just as high ranking as yours, I may do as I wish without being questioned," Rin said as she straightened up as the adrenaline started to pump, this was her chance to set her place in the with the men.

"Isao quiet her!" Garajuki spat out as he wanted to see the spineless Isao do something that wasn't so spineless.

"I shall not, she has a right to say anything she wishes," Isao said backing her up as he raised his eyebrows and looked over at her. This woman was very brave; she would make a fine addition to their already courageous crew.

"Are you telling me you are afraid of her?" Garajuki yelled as his face grew beet red at the defiance of these youngin's.

"I am not afraid of her, I just respect her opinion and I recognize that at this point in time she is to be respected as we respect each other," Isao stated as he saw a little smile creep up on Rin's lips. If any woman could pull this off then it was definitely her, and he was very grateful to be on her good side.

"I do not agree with that," Garajuki said as his red hot face turned in to dumb-founded one. How can that be? She had only been here only a few hours and yet she was to be respected as much as he was? He who had earned his way up from the bottom doing everything right so he could call himself the head military commander!

"Well you are just going to have to accept that, and if you don't then maybe I will try to over throw you. Do not underestimate my power and authority and I will not underestimate yours, sir Sienshi," Rin said as she stood up and she seemed to have the strength to beat Garajuki in a wrestling match if she wanted to.

"Very well then," Garajuki grumbled as he turned and stumbled out the door, he wasn't ready to lose his power so soon after gaining it. Best let it be for now and if she ever stepped over the line next time she would pay greatly.

Isao and Rin watched him lumber out and when the door had shut their straight faces turned into large grins. Rin started to jump up and down at her success and the only thing Isao could do was admire her strength. From now on things would be very different indeed, Rin had begun her showman ship of power and she even had a very strong supporter.

eh?eh? review? what do you think of Isao now?