Disclaimer: I do not own any of the wonderful InuYasha characters created by Rumiko Takahashi, nor do I own any of the Greek gods listed within this story.

Warrior

Hephaestus gave Kagome the amulet and arm cuff at the end of their time together. "Now, are you ready to return to your friends?" he asked. She nodded. "Okay. I have to kiss your lips in order to keep The Warrior here and send you the Caretaker back." He saw her eyes widen and flash a hint of disappointment. "I bet she's thinking of someone else she'd rather be kissing" he thought as he waited expectantly for her response. "And I know I could use a different method, but I can't resist the thought of tasting her plump, sweet looking lips." She looked into his blue-green eyes, her cheeks tinted light pink. "Ready when you are". At those words, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. He felt a strong tingling sensation throughout his body and thought "Gads! Her kiss is like ambrosia sheathed in lightning." Kagome's body was bathed in a pink glow for a moment, then the glow changed to dark green. Hephaestus broke the kiss and stood back to take in the vision of Kagome's warrior side. Her figure was well toned and muscular underneath the thin yukata that covered her body. Her dark hair shimmered with icy white and iridescent red streaks. She opened her icy blue, emotionless eyes to view the god before her. Her voice was an octave deeper than Kagome's had been, and when she spoke the coldness sent a shiver down Hephaestus's spine. "Who are you and why have I been separated from the Caretaker?" she demanded. "I am Hephaestus, Greek god and blacksmith to the immortals of Olympus" he introduced himself with a small bow. She eyed him coldly, conveying the feeling that his god ship meant nothing to her. He continued. "You were separated from the Caretaker so you could be trained by the Greek gods and unleash your full potential. There is a great battle ahead, and we must prepare you for it." He paused as she processed his words. Her eyes narrowed. "How long do I have to complete my training?" "The great battle is less than three moons away in the Caretaker's world. You will train for a year in my time. When you are returned to the Caretaker's world, two moons will have passed." Hephaestus paused to let the Warrior absorb everything he had told her. He continued. "We should head to Olympus now. All will become clear when we get there." He offered his arm. "I touch no one unless in the heat of battle, and then only as I slay them." she froze him with a look and his arm dropped. "Ouch! Burned by ice! Ares is going to have his hands full with this one!" he thought. Out loud "Only gods can go to Olympus. Others must be transported by the gods and the only way to accomplish that is by touching." Ice daggers from her eyes before she said "Very well. I permit you to take my hand." She held out a stiff hand. Hephaestus grasped it in his own and said "Lighten up. You'll never get through training if you remain so cold." In a flash of sparkling red light, they were gone.

They materialized in the same great room Kagome had so recently visited. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she broke contact with Hephaestus. "This way" he walked towards a corridor to the left, fully expecting her to follow. The corridor ended in a large room lit by torches. The center was a large area obviously used for sparring. Three of the four walls were covered with various weapons and armor. The last wall was embedded with poles and rocks of various sizes and shapes. "This is Ares' training room." Hephaestus limped over to a tall, ornate chair in the corner and sat down. The warrior walked over to one of the walls filled with the tools of battle and began to peruse the deadly items. Hephaestus continued speaking. "You need a name. Warrior just won't do." he mused out loud. Catching her icy glance, he sat up and clapped his hands together. "I've got it! You will be tenshibo-ntamenihou, the angel born for retribution." He leaned back in the chair again with a smug smile on his face. "I do not care what you call me as long as you train me so I can fulfill my purpose." She responded as she swung a large, double edged sword over her head. A bright, electric blue jolt hit the ground next to her, revealing Ares. Tenshi didn't flinch as she moved the blade to his throat in a blink. "Do not think you can surprise me, god" she spat. "I felt your presence before you materialized and I will not hesitate to strike you down". Ares glanced over at Hephaestus, raising one questioning eyebrow. "She's got spunk, Hef. I like it!" he chuckled deep in his throat as he pushed the blade from his throat with little effort. Tenshi took one step back into a fighting stance, eying the god warily. He stood 6'3" with a head full of shoulder length curly black hair. His muscular body was clothed in tight fitting black leather decorated with spikes and chains. He oozed sex appeal in a dark, Goth kind of way. Tanned skin provided the perfect background for his smoldering dark brown eyes. His strong, masculine jaw and soft yet firm looking lips were perfectly accented by a neatly trimmed black beard and mustache. "Tenshi, this is Ares, god of war. Ares, this is tenshibo-ntamenihou, the Warrior you will train over the next two months" Hephaestus introduced them. "Ares will be training you with assistance from several others you will meet later." Tenshi gave a slight nod and slightly relaxed her stance. Ares rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with glee and a hint of blood lust. "Let's get this party started!" he whooped as he charged Tenshi. And so the training began…

Time passed in a blur for the gods and Tenshi. She trained relentlessly, often outlasting the gods in her efforts to unleash her full potential. She mastered sword play in days. She surpassed Artemis in hunting using all possible weapons- spears, knives, and bows & arrows. She sharpened her mind with Athena so she would always be several moves ahead of her opponent, anticipating their next move before they even knew what they would do. She studied love and compassion with Aphrodite, which allowed her to defeat her opponent without destroying them unless absolutely necessary. Her body became a lean, toned machine capable of flexing and bending like reeds bend to the wind or becoming hard as rock. Her acrobatic prowess was impressive. Hephaestus often took breaks from his forge to watch as she leapt, swung, and twisted from rock to pole on the training wall. She was rapidly becoming the ultimate Warrior- tough and unyielding yet still honorable and compassionate.

As the final days before Tenshi's return to the Caretaker's world went by, Hephaestus labored to complete the tools of war he knew Tenshi would need for the final battle. The day before her return to Kagome's world, Hephaestus returned to the training room to meet with Tenshi. He watched as she quickly and passionately disarmed and knocked out two dozen of Ares' toughest warriors without breaking a sweat. Ares' hearty laugh boomed through the room. "You are by far the toughest badass bitch I have ever trained, Tenshi!" Though her look was full of distain, she nodded her head slightly to acknowledge the only kind of compliment the god of war was capable of giving. She turned her attention to Hephaestus. "So Blacksmith, you have returned" she said without emotion as she walked over to where he stood. "Always the sweet talker, aren't you Tenshi" he chuckled as she approached. "Your training is complete. Tomorrow you return to the Caretaker's world so you can prepare your comrades for the final battle." He paused. "Come with me and I will show you your arsenal" he motioned for her to proceed him through a small archway. They entered a small room lit by an unknown source. "Here are your weapons." He swept his arm in front of him to indicate everything that was hers.

Tenshi inspected her arsenal, her eyes warm for once in appreciation for well-crafted weapons. Hephaestus started showing her the items one at a time. He picked up a pair of sais. "Squeeze the hilt here" he demonstrated how to squeeze. A thin, hidden blade shot out of the center prong on each sai. "Comes in handy if the regular blade isn't quite enough." He handed her a black metal gunsen. It was about 3 inches long and as light as a feather. When Tenshi snapped it open, it fanned out to three times its length, revealing razor sharp edges. There were two dozen shurikens, several small throwing knives, and a three foot long katana in a polished ebony sheath with a leather strap. "The Caretaker already has your bow and arrows. The cuff will transfer to you when you replace her." He explained. He moved on to the armor. "I know this looks like a simple hakama, but it is much more" he handed it to Tenshi for closer inspection. The fine black silk flashed a hint of silver as she moved it in her hands. "The fabric is treated with a special potion provided by Apollo the sun god. This hakama resists all types of weather, heat and cold, and is self repairing. I have fused it to a special type of armor designed to withstand even the strongest material, adamant. It is invisible to the eye except for the occasional silver glint." While he was talking, Tenshi had stripped and redressed in the hakama. It was so light it felt like it wasn't there. "All of your weapons except the katana fit within your hakama." She rapidly found all of the storage areas and slipped her weapons in place, noticing that the outfit remained light in spite of the hidden arsenal. Hephaestus knew she was impressed though she didn't say it. She removed her hakama and redressed in her original outfit, then they returned to the great room where it all started a year ago.

Entering the great room, Hephaestus sat down on a soft dais as Tenshi leaned against the wall, waiting for him to speak. "You return tomorrow. You will go through a great carved door and change places with the Caretaker. You cannot take your arsenal with you. It will be hidden in a cave in feudal Japan." He handed her a small amulet almost identical to the one he had given to Kagome so long ago. This one had a golden cabochon sunstone instead of the deep blue moonstone Kagome's had. "Place that at the base of your neck. It will guide you to the cave so you can retrieve your weapons." She placed it where he indicated and it disappeared. "Thank you, Hephaestus" she said. His eyes widened in mild shock. Tenshi never thanked anyone, and she definitely never used anyone's name! "You're welcome" he replied, wondering what was going on. Tenshi spoke again "You and the other gods honor me by placing your trust and faith in me to save the past, present and future of this world. I will prove your faith and trust is warranted. I will not fail in my mission" she vowed as she bowed her head to him. "I know, tenshibo-ntamenihou." His heartfelt response caused her to rise. "Now, go sleep, for tomorrow you begin the next leg of your journey to save the world."