Underneath everyone's noses the final touches of the war were falling into place. The recruiting process had already begun to come into effect. Some people managed to just turn their heads the other way while the series of events occurred. Weeks ago, a man broadcasted himself late at night and introduced himself as Naraku. Showing his face gave false hopes to the cops that they would be able to catch him. Being a shape-shifter, it was easy to blend into a crowd. People began pointing fingers and turning on one another, thinking that they might have been working beside the terrorist. It turned out he had managed to become a high rank in the American government, allowing him access to their greatest secrets. There was an uproar of how a youkai had gotten into the chain of government. Japan had already been attacked twice and it was time to end the accusations. Japan blamed America for being careless with their government. One thing lead to another and here InuYasha is signing up to be a part of the draft.

He wanted nothing more than to avenge Japan from the unnecessary attacks. His sister in law almost lost her triplets because of it all. The name Naraku made his blood boil for some reason as if he had taken something much more from him. He also wanted to prove that he was more than just some hanyou that wasn't good for anything. He had not discussed much with his mother; he already knew that nothing she said would talk him out of it.

InuYasha easily passed the physical exam required to enlist. The amount of push-ups and sit-ups he was required to do was as easy as lifting a finger. If you weren't able to do pull-ups how did you expect to fight against a youkai's army? The muscles in his arms flexed beautifully as he pulled himself over the metal bar; thinking about nothing more than ripping off Naraku's head. How did Kikyo know that a second attack was bound to happen? InuYasha probably could have ripped the bar right out of its place if he wanted to.

In order to further the process of enlisting, InuYasha had to pass an academic test. He made sure to eat a healthy breakfast before the day he took the test. He scored pretty average but on the bright side, it was enough to push him over the edge. Kagome probably had rubbed her stupid onto him. His grades bounced all over the place when he was in school. Occasionally he got bad grades but he did the best he could.

A physician took in his physique as she stared at his bare chest. Youkai physicals took longer because the Japanese government wanted to be aware of all of their capabilities and limitations. She tapped on one of his claws and wrote something down on her little notepad. Those claws would come in handy during one on one combats. She was glad to find out that InuYasha kept his toenails in check from really looking like a dog. She listed them in the limitation category, but only if he didn't take care of them. She found it hard to filter between what she was supposed to examine and what she wasn't.

At the time, Japan was desperate for new recruits. There was a time when youkais weren't allowed to be in combat because it was argued that the opposing team would have an advantage. However, youkais began to migrate into other nations giving each country an upper hand. Hanyous were more rare to come across from as it was frowned heavily upon to bed with a demon; though it continued to happen.

InuYasha scanned over the paperwork he was required to sign. He ignored the fact that he basically left his body in charge of Japan. The last thing the physician looked over was his elongated snowy hair. He was going to have to get rid of it. That might just have been InuYasha's ticket out the door. His hair was what made him InuYasha. He just couldn't picture himself with a buzz-cut. A bun, however, was a different story. His hair was just a tad too long for that right now. He could probably wrap himself in it; and a small cat for that matter.

All was settled, InuYasha was eligible for the draft. He could hear the gun shots and the cheering now. Some could argue that he was making a rash decision, but he knew in his heart that he had to do this. His mother always taught him to chase after his dreams no matter how stubborn they would be.

()()()()

"InuYasha, baby...are you sure about this?" Jakotsu asked, squeezing InuYasha's shoulders in worry as they both stared at his hair through the salon mirror. His determined face was enough to answer his question, and so he began to gather his scissors and comb.

Jakotsu thought it was beyond sexy that InuYasha wanted to join the military. He, however, did not like the image of seeing his little inu getting hurt during combat. Had the boy ever even been in a fist fight? Even Jakotsu had been in a few when he was in high school. The comb was easily ran through his hair a thousand times. Jakotsu heard a lot about InuYasha's half brother and wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through that hair. He dreamed it being even softer than InuYasha's. Sesshoumaru wouldn't be caught within 50 ft from Jakotsu.

He lightly sprayed InuYasha's hair with water to dampen it down. He thought about keeping the abandoned hair that would soon be cascaded to the ground, only to be swept up later. He also thought about auctioning it off online in his cross-dressing community. Handling his hair felt like strands of silk, crafted by a spider. InuYasha's hair was a little layered so Jakotsu made sure to just cut the hair into a shorter version of what he already had. Circling around to the front of his client, Jakotsu straddled his lap and picked up his forelocks. InuYasha didn't feel that was necessary but Jakotsu must have known what he was doing.

After a few snips of hair here and there, Jakotsu took a step back and picked up all of InuYasha's hair and imagined it in a bun. He tried to save the length as much as he could. He spun InuYasha around to face himself in the mirror. InuYasha knew he could always count on Jakotsu.

"How does Kagome feel about it?" Jakotsu asked as he twisted InuYasha's hair up in a bun to show him how it would be done.

"Haven't told her yet."

"Don't worry, the worst thing that could happen is she moves out and never talks to you again."

"Is that what happened to your last roommate?"

"Yes..."

()()()()

When InuYasha was little he always found himself at countless events where veterans would be asked to rise and be recognized. He felt so proud of them that they had fought for Japan. He wanted to know how that honor would feel. With him mother beside him as he stood proud he knew that nothing would make him more happy. There was more to life than just striving to be the best at a university and he wanted to stand out in a positive way for once.

He lied on his back on the carpet while he watched TV. Kagome sat on the couch behind him snuggled up in a blanket while she went through a career listing. Nothing managed to pop out at her. She felt like her life was wasting away by the second the longer she had sat there. Kagome didn't make a big deal about InuYasha's hair like he thought she would. Jakotsu really didn't take off that much in the end after all.

"Kagome?" InuYasha called out, not removing his eyes from the screen.

"Hm?"

"I'm going to help bring down Naraku."

Kagome chuckled lightly and redirected her gaze back to her listing. "and how do you plan on doing that?"

InuYasha glared at his friend and sat up. He didn't realize the ground could be so comfortable. Kagome could see him from her peripheral vision and set aside the stack of papers. He had her full attention now.

"I want to take a part of the war." he rephrased his sentence.

"What do you mean?" Kagome could feel her heart begin to bounce around in her chest. She usually played out conversations in her head before they finished; thinking of all possible directions it could go in. That way the worst wouldn't shock her. She watched as InuYasha searched for how to word what he wanted to say. Didn't he know that he could tell her anything?

"I enlisted in the draft."

Kagome didn't like to be unable to control a situation. She felt like she was cupping a candle light about to go out. She began to play with her fingers, a common thing she would do when she was nervous. She wanted nothing more than for him to laugh and assure her that he was kidding, but it never came. His cold stare begged for a response out of her but she was at a lose for words. Suddenly her blanket wasn't enough to hide the shivering of her legs. Kagome couldn't understand how some people were able to tie down their emotions as tears threatened to fall.

InuYasha wasn't expecting that kind of reaction. He couldn't stand to see girls cry; he had no idea what to do.

"Kagome!" InuYasha felt like pulling out his hair while Kagome just allowed the stream of fat tears to roll down her face. She had cried in front of him before and she would do it again, and again. War meant death and that was something Kagome wasn't ready for. She hadn't had to gone through losing someone she really cared about yet. She knew InuYasha was strong but she didn't want him in that kind of environment. How could he just think to leave her alone worrying all the time. "Please, I don't like seeing you cry."

"Yeah? Well too bad!" Kagome sniffled more angry now for his lack of sensitivity.

"I thought you would be proud of me!" InuYasha grew frustrated that nobody seemed to look at it from his point of view when it came to the women in his life. He couldn't decide whose reaction was worse; Kagome's or his mother's.

"InuYasha, don't you get it! I won't be able to handle it if I were to lose you! I care too much about you." Kagome threw her head down into her eyes to cover her puffy eyes.

InuYasha crawled over to his best friend on his knees and rested his head on her lap as she wept. He lightly grazed his claws over her skin and gave her goosebumps. As much as she wanted to throw him off of her Kagome needed any form of comfort.

"Just hear me out, okay?" He said softly, playing with the blanket wrapped around her. He could sense that she had calmed down after a while. He never expected Kagome to have this strong of a reaction. Normally you told people what you wanted to do in life and they would congratulate you and be done with it.

Kagome responded by resting her hands over his head. She wished that this bittersweet moment could have came under better circumstances.

"I'm doing this for you, my mother, Rin, our whole family. I have to prove myself to people that I care about this country, youkai or human. This man almost caused Rin to miscarry and I can't forgive that. I could benefit Japan's army and we can take this guy down. Sure, there is a chance I could die in battle but if it's my time to go, it could happen anywhere. There's just something in my gut that tells me that I have to pursue this and I'm not going to ignore it because fear is being used as a barrier. Please, let me do this with your permission. Your opinion matters most to me, Kagome. If I have to go through this without your support it'll crush me. I...love you, Kagome. Please, you have to let me do this."

Kagome's heart skipped a beat as she listened to his beautiful words. He managed to make her feel selfish about not wanting him to be a part of protecting Japan. Could you really blame the girl for wanting to protect the things she considered precious to her? The flow of her tears had stopped but tears remained caught in her eyelashes.

InuYasha just focused on their breathing as he clung to her thighs. Kagome lightly nudged him to lift his head. Together they reached out to each other and wrap their arms around the other. Whether or not his words were directed towards her in a loving or friendly way, it didn't matter to Kagome. Love didn't always have to be romantic to make a heart flutter with joy and a stomach to fill with butterflies. Perhaps, just this once, Kagome had mistaken for the wrong kind of love InuYasha directed towards her. InuYasha had always been stubborn and Kagome knew better than to waste her time anymore trying to talk him out of it. This was just another thing in life she was going to have to hold her breath through until it was over. As much as she wanted to freak out over the fact that that was the first time a boy had told her he loved her, she couldn't ruin the moment. At least Kagome wouldn't have to be the first anymore like she had always planned. It truly was a bittersweet moment to share.

"If you're sure, then I'll support you." Kagome nodded.

InuYasha tried to get a peek at her face. "No more tears?"

"No more tears." She promised.

"That's why I got my hair cut today. I don't want to have to get rid of all of it." He tried to lighten up the mood a little to cheer her up.

"That's good. You'd look weird." She giggled, using the blanket to cover her smile.

"Gee thanks."

"So the paperwork is already in place?" She wondered.

"Yeah. I decided to wait til after to tell anyone so I could get beyond the point of no return."

"That was probably a smart idea," Kagome smiled sadly, looking at the small space between them. "Now I'm powerless."

InuYasha gave her one more big hug before picking himself up. "If anything, pretend you're happy for me." He joked with a shrug as he made his way to the kitchen. "Want a sundae?"

Kagome threw off her blanket and followed InuYasha to the kitchen. "Two scoops, please!"

This chapter wasn't as long as I would have liked but I really liked how the writing turned out. Thanks for reading. :)