Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles nor do I own Inuyasha. I also don't own any songs that may be added into the fic.

AN: Sorry that it's been a while since I had updated this. A lot of things came up with our internet being shut down after not paying the bill and S.T. Nickolian going to college and I probably won't get the chance to IM her until the holidays, even though I was able to talk to her for a short while on Labor Day Weekend.

So this fic will be postponed until she comes back and we'll start Chapter 5. But for now, I hope this chapter keeps you occupied.

Also, this chapter is not only dedicated to S.T. Nickolian but also to the men and women of the U.S. military and in memoriam to the tragedy of 9/11.

Chapter Four

"That was some nightmare." Kagome looked at the turtle sitting on the edge of her – no, that wasn't right… She wasn't at the shrine right now – she was in the sewers with the turtles. So this was – Raphael's bed through her fingers. Donatello looked back worriedly. "You were thrashing about pretty good there."

The miko groaned, closing her fingers as if that would close her off from the world. "I didn't wake anyone else up, did I?" If she did, she would never live it down from the other turtles or the human.

Donny laughed quietly. "Nah, I'm just a light-sleeper, and Case could sleep through an earthquake – the only place he can't sleep is his truck. Besides, I wouldn't have even woken up if our ever-watchful guard dog didn't fall asleep." Kagome followed his finger to regard Raph sleeping soundly in the doorway. "I'm surprised he let you in his bed, though."

The miko sputtered, jolting into a sitting position and staring at the purple turtle incredulously. "Th-That is… It wasn't… He – I…" Donny's laughter only made her glare at him. "You're mean."

After calming down from his laughing, Donny stood up to leave the room, Kagome made a move to get up. The turtle in purple turned toward and asked, "Aren't you going to get some more sleep? It's only about five in the morning…"

"It's okay… I usually wake up around that time. And I want to put on something more comfortable than this suit before I get some morning training in." Kagome replied with an upturn of her lips before thinking, 'Besides… I can't really go back to sleep after a nightmare like that…'

"Did you pack anything else other than that trench, the outfit you have on, and your sword?"

"Yeah… I also packed pair of jeans and a shirt, as well as my haori and hakama." Kagome walked over to the pack she brought with her and brought out the silk garments, Donny following her to look at the unfamiliar clothing.

"The what and the what?"

Kagome smiled in amusement at how utterly lost the technical genius was when it came to her culture. "Let me change; it'll be easier to explain when I'm wearing the clothes." She could have sworn she saw the faintest of blushes on his green skin, and the miko giggled slightly.

"Right," he coughed, turning the other way to give her some privacy and to be able to warn her if either of the other occupants of the room woke up. "So what was in that nightmare that had you so scared? It's best to talk about it – Mikey always tells everybody everything and sleeps just fine, but when Raph tries to keep it inside, he gets fitful sleep for weeks."

Kagome sighed as the comfortable tunic slid over her shoulders. "Nothing, Donny… just bad memories." He didn't push the subject anymore, and for that she was grateful. That was what she wanted to avoid – the less her new friends knew about her past, the less chance there was that, should the skeletons in her closet come to life to haunt her again, they would get involved.

"Alright, my shirt is a haori, and my pants are my hakama." Donny turned around and began fingering the material to see what it was and how it was made, making Kagome smile indulgently at her friend. Once his curiosity was satisfied, the purple turtle bid her good night again and slipped back into his own room.

Kagome watched him until he was swallowed by the shadows of the other room, and her smile faded. Her eyes dulled as the nightmare flashed through her mind again. If she had seen the four of them, the strange but funny turtle-friends she had made in the past couple days, in her nightmare before Donatello woke her, she would have no doubt latched onto him, reassuring herself that he was still there. 'It's just as well that I didn't…'

The miko shook her head at her own thoughts before slinking into the training room and quietly shutting the door behind her. She needed something to occupy her thoughts and take out her aggravation.

With her sword in hand, Kagome flicked the light on before moving to the center of the room and getting into the stance she used to start her warm-up Katas. Unsheathing her sword and letting the scabbard hang loosely from her left hand, she set one foot slightly behind the other for balance as she brought her sword-arm across her chest and over her shoulder. The sheath drooped close to her back, the tip almost scraping the backside of her ankle. The blade of her sword still sheathed but not completely so that it can slide out of its confinement easier.

The deep breathing of Kagome was all that could be heard as the miko tried to calm her nerves a bit. Her once closed eyes soon snapped open as she drew her blade, the starlight glint of the tampered demon bone shined from the light in the room as she made swipes at her invisible foe.

Kagome didn't know how long she kept at this warm-up, but she so caught up in her Katas that she didn't hear someone come in.

As six-thirty came around, Splinter was on his way to the training room to start his own morning exercises before breakfast when he heard the 'whoosh' sounds of a sword being swiped through air. He was sure that it wasn't Leonardo because all of his sons were still asleep as this time. Opening the door, he was in awe at the display of swordsmanship that was before him.

Kagome twirled her sword over her head and brought it down in a powerful thrust. Her body slid from one move to the next like water, the beautiful silk cloth of her Hakama and Haori adorning her body only adding to the effect as it swept around her. Splinter watched everything about her carefully, searching for any imperfection she might have. Finding none seemed to only solidify the fact that she was otherworldly. 'A tenshi or even a youkai…'

The dark blue silk of both pieces of the attire wrapped loosely yet perfectly around her body was adorned only by a splash of silver star-like shapes on her right shoulder and left leg, trailing up to her hip. The entirety of her back was claimed by a majestic canine – what exactly, he couldn't tell – against a crescent moon.

The ethereal air given by her attire was contrasted by the deadly nature of her blade as she brought it up to the level of her eyes. Her sorrowful eyes…

Splinter quietly retreated from the room, feeling as if he was intruding on more than just a training session. 'There is more to her life than just what has been said… What happened in all the years Saki abandoned them? What made her study fighting to such perfection?'

"You didn't think either of us became as strong as we are now just by sitting around did you? We were taught by the same person, and we were both put through worse than hell." Splinter remembered Kagome and Shippó-san mentioning something about their master and wondered what kind of training the person had but the girl through…

"Splinter-sensei… I know you're just outside. You can come in since I'm already finished." Kagome's voice broke through his thoughts, surprising the Shinobi master.

Opening the door again, he gave an apologetic smile, "Forgive for eavesdropping on your training session. I felt that you needed some time alone before facing anyone."

"It's okay. Like I had said, I'm already finished." Kagome replied, her sword still in her right hand while her sheath in her left.

Looking at the blade curiously, Splinter asked if he could take a look at her weapon, since he never had the opportunity to do so whenever she was training with Raphael.

Kagome gave him permission, setting her sheath on the floor before holding her blade in her hands gently like a priceless heirloom. Splinter accepted it just as gently before taking in every detail.

The katana was five feet long including the hilt, the blade being four feet long and the hilt being one foot long; its length was equivalent to Kagome's height, if only an inch off. The Fuchi (collar) was shaped like a flower, simple in design but still elegant. The Same (Rayskin) on the Tsuka (handle) was a pale blue almost white while the Ito (braid) was made of strong white silk (demon silk). The Kashira (butt cap) was made of ivory. The Sageo (cord) was made of the same silk used on the Tsuka. Just below the Habaki (blade collar) was the Kanji for the sword's name, Shura no Hana (Flower of Carnage) with a picture of a Tsutsuji (Azalia) in full bloom etched into the blade.

Splinter had never seen such beautiful craftsmanship in a weapon before. Even in his prime, blades were never made this beautifully.

'And its weight is much lighter than a regular sword of this length…' Splinter delicately traced a finger along the engravings. "This is an incredible sword, Kagome-san. May I ask where you acquired it? The smith must have been a master of masters."

Kagome giggled slightly at the thought of the smith wearing master's robes. Splinter looked up at her curiously, but she waved it off. "Sorry about that… Yes, he was indeed a master of sorts, though he would never allow anyone to call him as such. He was a very private person; in fact, Sesshomaru-sama had to threaten him to get him to make this for me…" Her eyes misted over with memories of a happier time, and the rat felt that same feeling of intrusion again. "Totosai-san was definitely a character…"

Kagome shook her head of those thoughts and smiled at him. "Did you come in here to train, Sensei? I can leave if you would like—"

Splinter interrupted her gently by giving her sword back with a smile. "There is no need for that, Kagome-san. You may remain to meditate or observe if you wish."

Kagome scratched the back of her head as she reverently took back her blade. "With all that happened, I think I do need to meditate…" She didn't need to add that she needed to try to settle her mind so she wouldn't have more nightmares – it was a little embarrassing that she needed one of the boys to wake her up.

Splinter nodded and moved further into the room to begin his own exercises, and Kagome settled herself against the wall, Shura-no-Hana protectively in her lap after she had put it back in its sheath. What one couldn't know about the blade just by looking at it was that it wasn't made from steel, but rather bone, demon bone, to be exact.

Kagome smiled ever-so-slightly at the memory of when Sesshomaru presented it to her. He had threatened Totosai into making it from his own fang and her blood – how he got her blood without her noticing, she would never know. She had wondered what made Sesshomaru so grumpy the two weeks or so before she finished her training, and thought that her impending conclusion of being his student upset him. 'Imagine my surprise when he shows up on the last day with this for me…'

With his fang, it protected against all demons but himself, and with her blood, it channeled her miko powers, something she knew she would need in the coming months as she fought her father…

From outside the training room, the turtles started to get up one by one with Souta getting up last before Casey. Mikey, once fully awake, headed to the kitchen to reheat some pizza for breakfast as his brothers went for the cereal or coffee. Souta followed behind, looking around with almost heavy eyes, looking for Kagome.

'Probably doing some morning training…' he thought before stumbling to where the turtles we getting their morning meals.

With a yawn, Casey sat up before stretching. Scratching his now messy bed hair, Casey looked around groggily before asking, "Where's that chick in the catsuit from last night?"

Donny scratched his head. "Must still be in the training room. I think she went in there about five this morning. Speaking of which…" The purple turtle sent Raph a smirk. "Guess who fell asleep on guard duty?"

Leonardo interrupted before a fight could break out. "That's enough, Donny. Raph needed the rest just as much as the rest of us." He pulled a chair up to the table for Souta and put a bowl of cereal with milk alongside a platter of fruit. "Now where did Mikey—"

"Breakfast is served!" Michelangelo walked back into the den with a huge grin on his face and box of steaming pizza. "Dig in everybody 'cause this is hot!"

Leo frowned, swiping the pizza before Mikey could get it to his mouth. "Really, Michelangelo, can't you eat something more nutritional? If you continue to eat pizza all the time, you'll get sick!"

Souta munched on his breakfast, looking up at the argument that now took place over his head. "You've got to be kidding me, Leo! You eat pizza just as much as I do, and it's just so good!" He understood the word 'pizza', but everything else they were saying was gibberish, and he only knew pizza because it was what Mikey promised him the night before. "So come on, gimme gimme!"

Leo jerked his arms away, keeping the offending pizza out of his brother reach, as he glared lightly. "Be reasonable, Mikey! We can't eat pizza all the time, and neither can Souta! He's a growing boy, and Kagome would be furious if we fed him this day-in and day-out!"

Mikey paused for a moment, thinking over what Leo said. The blue turtle sighed in relief that his playful brother was finally listening to him, and set the pizza out of easy reach. Behind him, Donny and Raph had started arguing again, and Casey was lounging, watching everything as if it was a soup opera. "Fruit fight!"

Leo didn't have time to even blink, a pear from the fruit bowl hit him in the face, splattering all over him. Donny received the same treatment, only with a banana, and Raph managed to catch the apple aimed at him, though his glare meant certain death.

Casey rolled with laughter as, within minutes, his friends were reduced to a mass of fruit-slinging heathens. Souta safely moved from the table to the bed his sister slept on the night before, his cereal unscathed in his hands.

None of the brother's expected the next move when Mikey aimed an orange at Leo but rather than the citrus fruit hitting its target, Leonardo dodged it only to let it continue its path. When Mikey thought that the piece of fruit was about to hit the door, said door opened to reveal Kagome.

The miko's eyes widened as she saw the incoming fruit, and with a swift 'shing' of her sword from its scabbard, two orange halves rolled into the room behind her. Dark blue eyes glared at the gawking turtles as she wiped the juice from her cheek. "What… was that?"

Michelangelo laughed nervously, bringing his arms in front of him in an attempt to look harmless – she did have her sword out after all… "Uh… fruit fight?" This was a dangerous Kagome he was dealing with.

Kagome narrowed her eyes, watching all of them carefully. From the couch, Casey scanned her new outfit, mourning the loss of the cat suit, but he also sat tensely, simply waiting for the girl to make a wrong move.

"A fruit fight, ne?" Kagome glanced at the 'wreckage' marring the den and turned to pick up one orange half with the tip of her blade. "If that's what you had planned…" A smirk crossed her face as she whirled Shura-no-Hana in a full circle over her arm. "You should have told me – I would have participated in the whole thing." The momentum of the blade flung the fruit off the point, sending it flying straight toward the one who initially threw it in the first place.

"Whoa!" Mikey barely ducked beneath the attack, and he grinned. "Right on!" Souta laughed as his sister joined in the food fight, keeping her sword as out of the fight as possible.

But she did do everything she could to keep from getting hit, dodging every piece of fruit that came at her. Soon the boys stopped throwing fruit at each other and soon started to gang up on Kagome to try getting a hit at her. Kagome was enjoying herself, mocking the boys with "Mada, Mada dane" or "You guys are so slow! You can't get me" before she decided to come at Mikey, sliding between his legs before tackling him from behind, catching him by surprise.

"Whoa!" The two both rolled across the floor, and Mikey panicked, thinking that he was going to squish his friend with his shell. The turning abruptly stopped, however, when Kagome set her foot down, and she sat on the back of his shell. The orange turtle was still dizzy, only breaking out of it when he felt his leg being pulled firmly up. "Ah!"

The others stared in shock as they watched the slip of a girl pin the ninja turtle. Kagome pulled a little harder on his leg – just enough to hurt slightly, but not to do any damage. "How do you like that?"

"Ow!" Mikey pounded the floor with one fist, putting his head on the other arm. "I give! Uncle! Uncle!"

Kagome laughed happily, though neither of them noticed Splinter walking out from the training room, nibbling on the other half of the orange that rolled in. He stopped to stare at his son being pinned down by their guest. "It would seem, Michelangelo that I need to step up your training, if you were defeated so easily."

Both Miko and Turtle in orange paused to stare at Splinter before Mikey stuttered, "N-no, sensei! We were just playing around!"

Splinter raised a brow at this before replying, "Is that so? Then perhaps all of you can prove that you can defeat Kagome-san in a fight, each of you one-on-one."

Souta didn't know what was going on or what was being said but seeing his sister having the upper hand in a roughhousing match was pretty funny while Casey found it pretty amusing as well.

The brothers were about to make their protests, they heard Shippo's voice, "Sorry for the intrusion! I brought along a friend!"

"If you can be so bold as to call me that, Shippo." The deeper voice made everyone turn to the doorway, where the redhead stepped to the side with a slight bow as another male strode in confidently. Platinum blonde hair fell to just below his shoulders, and bright hazel eyes took in the scene before him. "Why am I not surprised to see you in this situation, Kagome?"

A smile crossed Kagome's lips as she looked up at them. "Because you know how much I love to have fun?

One elegant eyebrow rose as the new male smirked. "I would say that it is because of your uncanny magnetism to trouble." He glanced to the other occupants of the room. "And to strange yet good friends."

The miko laughed, standing up and letting Mikey loose. He truly didn't change at all – insulting and complimenting her in the same sentence. "Speaking of which, guys this is my master, Sesshomaru."

Casey frowned a little at seeing another pretty guy but this one had almost white hair. He stayed silent as the girl introduced the guys to her so-called master, "Sesshoumaru, these are my friends, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, their master and father, Splinter-sensei; also known as Hamato Yoshi. On the couch is their friend… Casey, right? And I'm sure you already know my little brother, Souta."

Splinter gave a bow in greeting while the turtles wave a bit uneasily.

Sesshomaru gave a slight bow of his own, earning an incredulous glance from Shippo. "It is a pleasure to both be here and meet you, Hamato-san. You were well known in the martial arts world until Oroku Saki happened. I'm sorry for your loss."

Kagome moved to stand beside Shippo, staring at her sensei in shock. Leaning closer to the fox, she whispered, "What happened that made him so… um…"

"I have no idea…" Kagome narrowed her eyes slightly before shrugging. "Don't get any ideas, Kags – he's still a slave driver when it comes to training."

The miko pouted slightly before turning to the others around them. "Now… what were you saying about one-on-one fights, Splinter-sensei?"

"Ah yes. I want my sons to face you, one by one. The reason is not only to see if my sons need more training but to see the extent of your own skills."

Under the illusion of his human form, Shippó's ears perked, "YATTA! We finally get to see Kagome in action!"

Sesshoumaru rolled his at the kit's antics before turning to Kagome, "Miko." This made her pause in her giggling before he continued, "If you have fallen behind in your training, you will not like the consequences."

Kagome paled at what he really meant before gulping with a curse, "Kuso!" She turned to look apologetically at her friends. "I'm sorry, guys, but I'm not going to hold back – the result would be…" She only gave a shudder and walked hurriedly toward the training room. "I am not going through that again."

Splinter watched her curiously as she rushed past before turning to Sesshomaru. "If I may ask, what kind of training did you give the girl to make her react in such a way?"

The taiyoukai smirked, showing off a fang under his illusion, and he brushed some stray hairs over his shoulder. "Nothing short of what you would expect from a demon."

Splinter opened his mouth to ask more, but Souta jumped off the couch and ran to Sesshomaru, asking him questions in rapid Japanese. The rat shook his eyes in amusement as he turned, gesturing his sons and Casey to follow him after an impatient Kagome.

Shippo waited for them to leave, sighing as he squatted in front of his nephew. "Ne, Souta-oji, we can't let them know that we're demons just yet. We'll answer any and all questions later, once there isn't the chance of being over heard, got it?"

Though a little put out, Souta nodded, following them as they strode into the training room. From the look he saw on his sister's face once inside, he couldn't help but that she was going to put the turtles through hell.

Kagome tapped her foot on the floor, watching the brothers try to persuade Splinter out of this, Mikey being the loudest, of course. Leo didn't seem to have a problem with it, Donny was still picking pieces of fruit from his skin, and Raph was watching her, probably wondering if she had held back when they sparred. Yes, actually, she had. "Shippo, come here and help me stretch."

"Hai, hai. I'm coming. Which will you like to start with? Back? Legs?" Shippo spoke cheekily with a grin on his face.

"Help out with my back, then we'll work on the legs." Kagome sat on the floor, her legs spread out in front of her, and leaned forward. The turtles watched Shippo go over to push gently on her shoulders.

"Now, listen, my sons." Their attention was sharply brought back to Splinter. The rat gestured to the pale man watching Kagome carefully. "Sesshomaru-san as agreed to allow his student to spar with all four of you, one at a time, and we shall see how the results pan out. If all four of you should lose to her," his sharp brown eyes took on a harder edge, "then Sesshomaru-san as agreed to take you on as students also."

Loud protests came from three of them, but Leonardo managed to calm them down by stating peacefully, "We should treat this as an opportunity to expand our skills. It'll be fine."

"Ow! Damn, Shippo, that hurt!" everyone's attention quickly to where Shippo and Kagome were, only to see Kagome lying on her back while Shippo had a hold of one of her leg, pushing it to her torso to help stretch the thigh muscles. Although the position was harmless enough and seen it as a regular stretching exercise… it kinda gave a suggestive thought or two.

It didn't help that Casey further influence the said thoughts but saying, "wow… that's sexy." If it weren't for their green skin, the turtles would've been a beet red.

Sesshoumaru gave a leer at an oblivious Casey at the 'comment', not liking the fact that the human was becoming attracted to his imouto and student. "I suggest, that you watch your tongue, or you may find yourself without it."

Simply from the cold, deadly tone of his voice, even if it was not directed at them, the turtles, even Raph, felt a cold trill go down their spines. They looked at each other, their thoughts, for once completely alike. 'We have to win these fights!'

Splinter raised his eyebrows at the sudden determination flooding his sons. "This… can only end badly…"

5 pages but it's better than nothing. Please leave some nice reviews and hope you guys hold out until I can get in touch with S.T. Nickolian again so we can start Chapter 6.