Disclaimer: This is stupid. Why should I have to put this on every danged chapter I post when it's obvious I don't own Inuyasha or I wouldn't be here typing fan fiction!

AN: Well, here is the next chapter. Hopefully this one will be long enough for y'all. If it's not, drop me a line and give me a page limit or something. I like a good challenge.

Lunch Confession and Afternoon Training

"Kikyou did WHAT!?" Sango practically shrieked out the words. Miroku quickly shushed her and gestured towards Kagome. The little miko was sleeping peacefully between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, her limp body supported by the boys' strong arms. The incident with Kikyou had drained her. She had been asleep all through lunch.

"Yeah, I know." Inuyasha said quietly. "The worst of it was, I could smell Naraku's stench the whole time. He was watching."

"You think he was testing Kagome's powers?" Rin asked, sitting by Sesshoumaru's free side.

"That's a safe bet." the older Takahashi confirmed.

"But if that's the case," Miroku said thoughtfully, "then he must be planning to attack her."

"Use her as an example to us." Sango agreed. "Poor kid. She didn't do anything to deserve this."

"What are we gonna do?" Shippou wondered. "We can't just leave her to Naraku." Out of all of the Inu Gang, the kitsune-youkai was probably the only one who understood Kagome's importance to the brothers. If it had been anyone else, they would have warned the individual and left it at that.

"We aren't." Sesshoumaru said grimly. "Inuyasha and I will be training her after school if she's up to it."

"When we're at school we'll be keeping an eye on her." Inuyasha added. "We've got her classes, and you guys see her in the halls. With all of us, we should be able to keep them away from her."

There was a long pause, and Miroku nodded. "We'll do it; you know we will. But, why are we doing this? We don't defend everyone that Naraku targets."

"She's not just anyone anymore." Inuyasha said. "She's a Takahashi."

"Our sister." Sesshoumaru added solemnly.

Rin smiled gently. "And she couldn't have found better brothers." she said. "Don't worry about it, Ses. We'll take care of her."

OOOOOOOO

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Kagome?" That afternoon found Inuyasha and Kagome and Inuyasha in the dojo, ready to spar. Inuyasha was armed with his favorite katana; Kagome had two sai, the lighter, defensive weapons feeling more natural in her hands than the heavier, offensive weapons.

She nodded and adjusted her grip. "I'm fine, Inuyasha." she said. "My nap today did me good." Her eyes narrowed as she slipped into a fighting stance, waiting for Inuyasha to attack her. "Something tells me I missed out on a certain conversation."

Watching from the sidelines, Sesshoumaru smirked. "We were merely discussing Naraku and Kikyou's involvement with each other." he called.

Inuyasha grinned, picking up on the code. "Hai, and trying to figure out the best way to keep you out of the middle." he added.

Kagome nodded, unable to argue. It was the truth, but not the whole truth. The miko had the feeling she wasn't going to get the whole truth anytime soon.

"You will begin – NOW!"

Inuyasha attacked, spinning the katana in a complicated zigzag pattern in front of him. Unfazed, Kagome lashed out and slipped the tip of her sai into the attack. The sai went flying, but Kagome dove after it. She could hear Sesshoumaru calling advice to both of them from his watching post.

"Good one, Kagome, but next time try and keep both weapons! You're at a disadvantage."

Kagome didn't bother responding. She dove across the room, snatching up the sai and springing into a crouch. Inuyasha was already bearing down on her, and this time she felt the sting of the blunted blade on her shoulder. Had it been a real weapon it would have taken her arm off. She flinched.

"Gotta be faster, Kagome! He's used to battling me."

"I really don't like the emphasis on that." she muttered.

"If you ever get good at this, you'll be sparring him too." Inuyasha said with a smirk. Kagome smirked back and sprang to her feet, shoving the katana away and to the right. Her other sai came from the left, slicing across his chest. Once again, Kagome realized that it was a good thing they were using training weapons, otherwise they'd both be a bloody mess.

"Keep light on your feet, Inuyasha! She's a quick one!"

It went on like that for an hour, and would have continued for much longer had Sesshoumaru not intervened. "That's enough for today. We'll go again tomorrow." he said.

Kagome checked her watch and flinched. "I-I need to get home." she stuttered. With that she turned and fled from the dojo. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha exchanged looks.

"Shall we follow her and see what's up?" Inuyasha asked.

"Indeed, little brother." Sesshoumaru responded. Without another word, they both left the dojo.

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AN: Yeah, I know, not very much longer, but a lot more action. I'm not good with describing fighting, so those scenes won't be very long. Don't worry, they'll get longer! I'm heading out for the weekend, but I'll try to post again before then. Otherwise, you'll probably get two chapters when I get back!