Path to Dawn Chapter 1: Sadness and Plans, an inuyasha fanfic

Hey everyone. So, here is the sequel to Descending Twilight. This story will most definitely be longer than DT was, but how much longer, I'm not sure. No way near as long as Another was, but longer than the two sequels that followed after it. At any rate, I'm hoping that everyone likes this story. DT didn't seem to earn many reviews from anyone, other than my favorite reviewer Kattana. It was a bit discouraging, but oh well, it happens.

Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha or any other animes.

Special thanks to all the following authors for allowing me to borrow names of things from them.

DemonGirl-Setsuna: My main character's name.

Yukina-Raven: Name of my main character's sword.

Hope to hear from all of you soon in a review or PM. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

"Damn it, why does there always have to be so much paperwork!"

Standing up from his desk and moving over to look out the window while silently cursing to himself was a dog hanyou with midnight black hair pulled back into a long ponytail that reached just below his butt, two black dog ears that were twitching a top his head, clawed hands, two jagged purple stripes that adorned both his cheeks, and muddy brown eyes. His clothing consisted of a fine black kimono top and pants held together by a white obi sash, with a large white dog flying over a village embroidered into the kimono top. Tapping his foot on the floor a few times and hearing the sound of his boots beat against it, he returned his attention to the outside. Resting against the wall near his low desk was a sword within a polished black sheath. It had a single ring of green near the top of the sheath, with the hilt being wrapped in green cloth and the guard being circular and golden.

Raising a clawed hand up and running it down his face, he let out a heavy sigh before turning to look at his low desk. A stack of papers sat on the left side of it that measured at least a foot tall. On the right side of the desk, a bottle of ink with a calligraphy brush sitting next to the bottle, still wet with ink. Behind the desk, several pillows sat about, with some against the wall to give the hanyou more comfort.

Rubbing his temples soothingly, the hanyou muttered "Why in the hell did I ever agree to help Sesshomaru out with this? I should have known better than to willingly agree. Especially since it looks like it's going to be a beautiful afternoon."

Releasing a heavy sigh, he sat back down onto the pillows on his knees and picked up his calligraphy brush. Dipping it gently into the ink, he reached for the next paper from the stack and laid it in front of himself. Drawing the brush from the ink and making sure not to have too much within it, he began to sign a document from the stack, only to be interrupted mid-stroke by hurried knocking on the door to his office.

"Lord Iya!"

Recognizing the voice from the door as his personal servant, Iya heavily sighed once more and felt a bit frustrated, but relieved, to be disturbed again. Placing the brush back onto his desk, he smoothly said "You may enter, Momo."

Sliding the door open in a rush, a female half wolf and half dog demon stepped in hurriedly. Her usually well kept black hair that was typically in a bun coved by a cloth was instead loose and reaching down to her shoulders in length. Panting slightly, she stared at him with fear within her normally tranquil brown eyes. Her fine black kimono revealed, but hid at the same time, her petite body.

"Lord Iya, you are needed at the gate! It's … It's…"

Concerned by the hybrid demoness's inability to tell him what was wrong, the hanyou stood and grabbed his sword. Placing it within his obi, he strode over to his servant and placed a hand on her shoulder. In a calm tone, he said "Calm down, Momo. What has happened?"

Fighting back tears that were welling up in the corners of her eyes, Momo weakly whimpered before murmuring "It's your younger brother, Lord Iya."

Eyes widening a fraction, the hanyou didn't wait for any further explanation before he suddenly broke into a nearly full speed sprint out the door and down the hallways of the Western Stronghold. Passing several demons, he raced to the outside and towards the main gate. Reaching it in only a few minutes, he saw several soldiers returning, with four carrying a stretcher.

Laying on the stretcher was his younger half brother. His brother's normally pristine white hair that reached his butt in length was dyed crimson in places from the blood escaping his numerous wounds and a bit matted. The red top and pants made from the pelt of a fire rat was cut and torn in several places, revealing his porcelain colored skin, decorated with wounds as blood oozed out of them. His face sported several cuts and shallow gashes.

"Inuyasha!" Iya yelled out as he reached the stretcher and reached in to touch the side of his brother's neck. Finding a faint pulse, he quickly declared "Get him into the stronghold and to Kiyomi immediately!"

Grabbing one of the remaining soldiers roughly as he was trying to pass by, the dog hanyou snarled out "What happened out there!"

Visibly shaken by the demand made upon him, the soldier, a young raccoon dog with short brown hair and purple eyes winced slightly as he looked at the hanyou. The young demon was clutching a wound on the arm that the hanyou had grabbed and winced as he looked away.

"I asked you a question soldier, now answer!"

Looking up, but trying not to stare into the eyes of the hanyou, the demon quietly replied "We were ambushed by the Southern Forces on our way to the village we were to liberate. It was as if they were waiting for us. There was no chance for us to know the attack was coming. We were completely outnumbered by the enemy, at least three to one."

Pausing momentarily, he added "However, Lord Inuyasha turned the tide. Under his leadership, we were able to take down nearly three-fourths of the enemy's forces and liberated the village. But it was costly."

"I'm sure you noticed, of the one hundred of us that left out, only twenty-six of us returned, including Lord Inuyasha. We would have all died if he hadn't taken the fight to the enemy. He was badly wounded during his charge on them, but he kept going. That alone gave the remainder of us the courage and determination to help fight and win the battle. Once it was over, Lord Inuyasha passed out from his wounds. The villagers tried to help him, but they had no healer, so we hurriedly brought him back here."

During the raccoon dog demon's recount of the events of the battle, Iya clenched and unclenched his hands into tight fists. He had clenched them so tightly that his palms started bleeding from where his claws had dug into them. Hearing the splashing sound of blood hitting the ground, he refrained from clenching them, but couldn't help but feel his anger rising.

Taking a calming breath, the hanyou tersely said "You may go. Thank you."

Bowing to the hanyou, the young soldier quickly fled from his sight, leaving the hanyou standing alone near the front gate. Remaining in the same place for several minutes, he finally took a deep breath and trudged back to the stronghold. Walking quickly to his office, he shut the door quietly and leaned back against it. Releasing a ragged sigh, he looked over to the nearby bookshelf that housed thousands of scrolls. Hesitantly, he walked over to it and searched for a few moments until finally finding the scroll he sought.

Sitting down at his desk, Iya unrolled the scroll and quickly read over it. Nodding his head to silently acknowledge the words in the scroll, he stood back up and headed down the hallway to where he knew his personal servant would be.

Stepping into a room where Momo and a few other servants were cleaning the floor with scrub brushes, the hanyou cleared his throat, earning her attention. All of the servants immediately were to their feet and bowing to him, but the dog hanyou waved them off.

"Momo, I have something for you to do." Iya tightly said.

Noting the concern in her master's voice, Momo smoothly asked "What do you wish for me to do, Lord Iya?"

"Kagome should be on her way back here from a mission and will return tonight, but I want you to go and find her and rush her back. She should be here with my brother. Let her know that he was badly injured. I have a chart here for where she should be."

Accepting the chart, the hybrid demon bowed lowly. "I shall do as you command, Lord Iya."

Curtly nodding his head, the hanyou abruptly turned on his heels and left. Returning to his office, he shut the door and sat back down at his desk. Releasing another heavy sigh, he let out a low growl as he realized his paperwork had grown since he had left his office. Picking up a sheet of paper and his brush, the dog hanyou started working once more on signing the documents.

000

Hearing gentle rapping upon his door, sniffing the air and knowing exactly who was at his door, Iya calmly said "Come in."

Sliding the door open and limping into the office with numerous bandages covering his body was a blonde haired dog demon. One eye was covered by bandages, but other amber one was visible. His blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and reached his upper back in length. Many cuts and scratches covered his face, but his golden well groomed beard that stretched down from his sideburns to his chin seemed fairly unfazed. The usual armor that covered his body was now replaced by a simple white kimono robe.

Coming to a stop in front the hanyou's desk, the demon bowed deeply, keeping his head down and waiting for acknowledgement. Setting his brush down, the hanyou nodded to the demon and motioned for him to sit.

"Lord Iya, you wished to see me?"

Curtly nodding, the dog hanyou answered "I did. I wish to hear what happened in the battle that you just returned from."

Looking down at his arm, the dog demon softly replied "Not to seem rude, Lord Iya, but the report was sent to you nearly an hour ago. Did you not receive it?"

"I did." Iya retorted. "However, I wished to hear the account given to me in person."

Frowning, the blonde haired demon quietly said "The report has all the specifics …"

"I don't care for reports." the hanyou stated in a voice of annoyance. "I wish to hear firsthand what happened in that battle. Now then, do tell me."

Noting a rigid look on the demon's face, the hanyou sighed and added "This is not a question of how well you conducted yourself in the battle or about your position. I just wish to hear what happened in this battle so we can learn from it."

Relaxing a bit, the demon calmly spoke up, saying "Very well, Lord Iya. We left the Western Stronghold two weeks ago. Our mission was to liberate a village on the border of the Western and Southern Lands. The numbers of our group was one hundred soldiers. We arrived to within ten miles of our target in six days time. Lord Inuyasha had us bed down that night and rest so that we could take the fight to the Southern troops the next day."

"The next morning, he began marching on the village. When we were only about halfway there, we were ambushed. Intelligence had speculated that only one hundred soldiers of the South would be there, but it was grossly wrong. At least three hundred soldiers occupied the area around the village, with nearly two-thirds of them ambushing us."

Pausing for a moment as he took a deep breath of air, the demon quietly said "We lost nearly a third of our own troops by the surprise attack. Lord Inuyasha attempted to have us reverse our direction, but we were out flanked and surrounded by the enemy. Not willing to give up, Lord Inuyasha charged the enemy with his sword drawn. The men and I found his courage compelling that we joined him in the charge. This action surprised the enemy and caught them off guard. Several of our men were taken down during the charge, but we managed to push our way through and began cutting the enemies numbers down. Lord Inuyasha himself received several wounds from the foolhardy attack, but he continued on. In the end, we decimated the troops that fought us, forcing them to pull back to the village, but we gave them no time to tend to their wounded. Lord Inuyasha pushed hard and we managed to force the remaining troops to retreat back into the Southern Lands. I estimated that less than a hundred of them remained."

"As for our side, our losses were great. Only twenty-six of us survived the battle. All of us had some kind of wounds, some more grievous than others. Lord Inuyasha himself was badly injured from the battle. After the battle was over, he collapsed onto the ground in a heap and bleeding rather badly, muttering something about he couldn't die, not yet. The villagers did their best to help tend to his wounds, but there was no healer in the village, so we had to depend upon mainly first aid treatment. We rushed back here as quickly as possible carrying Lord Inuyasha in hopes of saving him. It took us nearly six days to return, and as you saw, we were all ragged from it."

Noticing that the demon had finished, Iya folded his arms over his chest and slightly nodded. "I thank you for recounting the battle for me. You may go now."

Standing, the dog demon started to leave the room, but stopped at the door. Turning around, he bowed deeply to the hanyou, saying "I pray that Lord Inuyasha will recover, Lord Iya."

"As do I."

Turning and leaving, the hanyou sat silent for a few moments. The scent of blood filled his nostrils, which he quickly discerned was his own due that he was clenching his hands so tightly till his claws had dug into his palms.

"Inuyasha…"

Closing his eyes, the hanyou saw his younger brother's wounded form in his mind, laying in the stretcher he had been brought in on. Snapping his muddy brown eyes open, the hanyou stood and walked silently over to one of his bookshelves. Pulling a large book out, he reached in behind it and drew out a large bottle of clear liquid and a set of saucers.

Returning to his desk and sitting down, the hanyou quietly poured the clear liquid into one of the saucers. Setting the bottle down, he reached over and lifted the saucer up to his mouth and quickly downed the liquid.

Crinkling his nose and wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his free hand, Iya grumbled "I always hated the smell of saké."

000

Standing outside the office door of the person she wished to see was a female dog hanyou with ebony black hair that reached her mid-back in length, two black dog ears a top her head, honey colored eyes, and a puffy dog tail. She wore a pink kimono that had green leaves etched into it, a dark green obi that tied around her from behind, and sandals on her feet.

Picking up the scents coming from the room, she hesitantly knocked on the door. Waiting for what felt like forever, the hanyou finally entered into the office. Finding the person she desired to speak with sitting at his desk and pouring a saucer of saké, she sat down before the desk without a word.

Noting how much of the rice wine was missing, she spoke up, saying "You really shouldn't drink so much of that stuff. It's very detrimental to your health."

"Why aren't you with Inuyasha, Kagome?" Iya quipped with a small slur in his speech.

Glancing over at the window to view the night sky, Kagome returned her gaze to the dog hanyou across from her and folded her hands within her lap. "I was, but he's no longer in danger. He needs his rest, so I thought I'd come find you and see how you were doing."

Downing the liquid within the saucer and setting it back down onto the desk before pouring more of the clear wine into it, the male hanyou started to lift the saucer up to drink, but paused. A moment more of silence passed until he asked "Have you come to tell me how angry you are and how much you blame me for what happened?"

Frowning momentarily before weakly smiling, the miko hanyou shook her head. "I'm not angry about what happened, and I don't blame you."

Drinking all the clear liquid from the saucer, the male hanyou slammed it down onto the desk, nearly breaking it in the process.

"Why the hell not!" he demanded. "It's my fault that he got hurt! Inuyasha would never have gotten hurt if …"

Reaching across the desk and taking hold of her brother-in-law's hand, Kagome smiled once more and soothingly said "Iya, it wouldn't have mattered if you gave him every last detail of the mission and reports on the number of troops surrounding the village. Inuyasha knew the dangers he would face before he left for that mission. He knew the possibility of the intelligence being off, but he went anyways because he believed in what we are fighting for."

"As for blaming or being angry with you for Inuyasha getting hurt, I could never do that. You gave him the best reports on sightings of the enemy you had on the area. I know in my heart that you would never send your brother into battle, knowing that he stands no chance of returning. You're not like that, Iya."

Picking up the scent of salt, Iya glanced over to see his sister-in-law's eyes were glassy, with twin tear streaks spilling down her cheeks. Averting his eyes, he whispered "I'm sorry."

Wiping the tears away with her sleeve, the miko hanyou weakly smiled back, saying "Don't worry about it. This has been hard on you, I know. I can always feel your desire to wish to protect those around you, and I know how hard it must be for you to remain here at the stronghold, reduced to nothing more than a spectator."

Releasing the male hanyou's hand, the miko turned hanyou stood and smiled down at the male hanyou. "Try not to take what happened so hard. Inuyasha would be irritated if he knew how much this is bothering you."

Remaining silent for a moment, Iya at last acknowledged her statement with a nod. Nodding back herself, Kagome left the office, leaving the male hanyou to his thoughts.

Moving to his feet with a slight stagger, the dog hanyou picked up the nearly empty saké bottle and threw it into a small bin in the corner of the office. "I never did like that crap."

000

Wordlessly signing a document with his calligraphy brush, the Lord of the West picked up the scent and demonic aura of his sister-in-law approaching his office. His silver hair shifted as he lifted his head up momentarily, allowing the lantern's light to shine on his face, seemingly highlighting the light blue crescent moon on his forehead and the twin magenta stripes on his cheeks. Reaching for a new document, his amber eyes scanned over it while his pointed ears waited for a rapping sound on his door.

Taking a deep breath on the outside of the door was a neko hanyou. Her long black hair reached her rear in length, with red streaks throughout it. Twitching upon her head were two cat ears. Eyes of emerald stared at the door while her clawed hands were at her sides and clenched into fists. She wore a fine black silk kimono, with long flowing sleeves, colorful leaves embroidered into it, and a orange and white flower print obi sash. Wrapped around her waist, her black cat tail twitched slightly before settling down.

With one last deep breath, she raised her hand and gently tapped on the door. Immediately, she heard a cool voice within say "Enter."

Entering into the room and closing the sliding door behind her, the neko hanyou moved before the desk of the dog demon. Falling to her knees and bowing deeply, she awaited him to recognize her.

"What is it, Lilly?"

"Lord Sesshomaru, I've come to ask a personal request of you." Lilly answered without looking up.

Stopping in mid-stroke, the demon lord quickly returned to finishing his signature, saying "This Sesshomaru shall hear it."

"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru." the neko humbly remarked. "I hate sounding like this. I'd give anything not to stoop to this, but it's the only way."

Taking a deep breath, the neko slowly said "My Lord, I request for you to allow my mate, your brother, Iya Taisho, to return to active duty in the field."

"Request denied." Sesshomaru retorted without looking up from his paperwork.

"Figures he'd say that…" the neko mused. Remaining calm, she spoke up again, saying "Lord Sesshomaru, I beg of you, allow him to return to the field."

Still not bothering to look up, the demon lord answered "This Sesshomaru has already denied your request."

Unable to handle the anger swelling within herself, Lilly rose up and snarled out "Why won't you allow him to return to the field! Staying here is slowly killing him on the inside! Do you not understand how much guilt he feels for sending everyone out and not being able to go with them and protect them!"

Setting his brush down, the demon lord's face rose up from the papers he had been working on to look the neko in the eye. Cold amber met furious emerald momentarily before his lips quirked into a small smile.

"Acting subdued does not suit you, Lilly."

Angered even further, Lilly got ready to snap back a comment, but managed to bit her tongue and swallow her words. Composing herself for a few moments, she tersely, through gritted teeth, said "I am trying to be respectful to you. This is important to me."

Taking another deep breath, she moved her eyes to stare at the floor in front of her. "Please, I'm begging you, Sesshomaru. Let Iya return to active duty in the field. The longer he remains a prisoner here within the stronghold, the deeper he goes into a depression."

Silence filled the air for a minute until the dog demon spoke up, asking "Did he send you to request this?"

"No." Lilly murmured as she hid her eyes beneath the shadows of her bangs. "I do this freely on my own. Iya would never ask such a thing of me."

Regarding the hanyou for a few long moments, the demon lord spoke up, saying "This Sesshomaru will not grant your request."

Fiercely raising her head to glare daggers at her brother-in-law, the neko started to begin yelling, only to be cut off before she could get a word out.

"This Sesshomaru wishes to keep Iya here due to his ability to create extraordinary strategies that have proven very effective against the enemies of the North and West. None of the generals of the Western and Northern Lands have proven capable of creating effective plans of attack. This Sesshomaru's brother, much to this Sesshomaru's chagrin, has single-handedly turned the tide of this war with his ability to counteract the enemy. To allow such a valuable asset as Iya to engage in battle would be counterproductive. He is needed here, to conduct the battles and strategies, not on the battlefield."

Clenching her hands into tight fists, Lilly let out a low growl, saying "You don't understand what you're doing to him."

With that said, the neko turned and stormed out of the office, but not before slamming the door shut as she left. "I knew that asshole wouldn't let Iya go! Damn him, damn that cold bastard!"

Letting out a long sigh, the dog demon placed his head within his left hand. Running it over his face, he slowly let it fall away and returned to reading over his papers.

000

Hearing soft footfalls approaching him, Iya weakly smiled as his mate sat down next to him. She stared out at the pond with him for several minutes, knowing not to speak just yet when she found him in this place.

"It's a beautiful night." the dog hanyou commented as he gazed up at the half of moon in the sky.

Nodding her head, Lilly replied "It is indeed."

Brow furrowing, she bit her lower lip for a moment, pondering on what her next words should be. Before she could say anything, her thoughts were broken by the sound of her mate speaking.

"Don't worry, I threw the bottle away. Kagome and I had a chat about it, so don't be worried, ok?"

"It's hard to try and not worry about you, mate." the neko whispered. Reaching out and drawing her legs up to her chest, she added "Ever since you haven't been allowed to leave the stronghold, it feels like you're growing more and more depressed by the day."

Feeling a pang of guilt course through him, the dog hanyou let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I'll try to hide it better."

"No, don't hide it." the neko sharply commanded. "Hiding things never helps. If you're having a rough time of things, don't hide it. I don't want you to feel you have to. Even if you weren't stuck here, I'd be worried about you still yet."

Nodding his head, the male hanyou fell back onto the soft grass and stared up at the sky. A moment passed before his mate did the same. Silence engulfed the pair as they just looked up at the starry night sky.

"I don't think I'll be able to stand staying here much longer. The longer I stay, the harder it is face those people that I'm sending into battle."

Sitting up onto her elbows and glancing over at her mate, the neko couldn't help but notice the deep sadness reflecting within his normally serene muddy brown eyes. Moving closer, she pressed herself up against his side as tightly as possible and laid her head onto his chest.

Inhaling the neko's scent, the dog hanyou allowed her scent of raspberries to wash over him and fill his nostrils. Wrapping one arm possessively around her and drawing her closer, he slid his eyes shut and allowed his mind a moment's peace, but found it to be short lived.

Eyes snapping open, Iya let out a heavy sigh, saying "This damn war has taken away so many friends and loyal soldiers. Not to mention, I've nearly lost family members from the countless battles that the West and North are engaged in with the alliance of the Southern and Eastern Lands."

"If only we could end this war, there would be no need for so this bloodshed."

Opening her emerald eyes, Lilly glanced up at her mate from her resting place. Trying to lighten the mood, she sarcastically replied "It's not like we can go charging into the capitals of both the East and South. I mean, if we could, this war would be as good as over."

Lightly chuckling, Iya murmured "Yeah, you're right."

Closing his eyes, the dog hanyou relaxed for a few moments with his mate's words ringing throughout his mind. Without warning, his eyes snapped open and he stood up, but gently pushing his mate off in the process.

Surprised and bewildered by her mate's sudden actions, the neko stared at him momentarily before finding a smirk of confidence on his face reflected in the moonlight.

"Thanks Lilly. That's exactly what I needed to hear." Iya cheerfully said. Stooping down and kissing his mate gently, he stood back up, saying "I'll be to bed in a while."

With that said, the male hanyou sprinted back towards the stronghold, leaving a bewildered and confused neko.

"What the hell was that about?"

000

"I don't like this."

Casting his eyes off in the distance was a rather large man sitting on the ground with his hands pressed against one another. He had short pink hair upon his head with a black skull design within it, a bushy pink mustache, and kind light brown eyes. The clothing he wore was a green kimono top and pants with a white undershirt revealed under it.

"Whatever I'm sensing is just skimming along our barrier. It's like they know it's there and are searching for an entrance, or just simply testing it's strength possibly. Or maybe they're trying to gain our attention? Regardless, I should let Lady Neliel know about it."

Within a large, mile in diameter orange barrier in front of the burly man were ten combatants that were paired off and training with one another.

Staring down her opponent was demoness with waist length teal colored hair that hung freely, a single pink demonic marking that reached across her face right under her hazel colored eyes, a large chest, and a skull like helmet that had no jaw and horns jutting out from the sides. Her form fitting white clothing, consisting of a top and pants, fit her body rather well and revealed how toned she was. In her obi sash sat a light green sheath while in her one hand was a finely crafted sword that had a rectangular guard and light green braided hilt.

The demoness's opponent was a young man wielding a massive cleaver blade sword that had a white cloth wrap hilt that was nearly two feet of cloth hanging freely. His short spiky orange hair shifted slightly as he adjusted his stance, his brown eyes focused as he stared her down. The outfit he wore was a simple black kimono top and pants, which had a white inner top peeking out, a white obi sash holding them together, and a red leather strap stretching across from his right shoulder and down to his left hip before going back to his backside. On his feet was a pair of white socks and sandals.

One another stared each other down, with the orange haired young man panting slightly. A trickle of blood ran down the side of his face, but the demoness was not unblemished due to a small cut on her right cheek.

Hazel eyes suddenly shifting in the direction that the pink haired man had been glancing in, the demoness drew herself up to full height, earning the attention of her opponent.

"Ichigo, we are done for now. Go fetch Orihime and meet me at the edge of the barrier where Hachi is once you return."

A touch confused at her words, Ichigo nodded as he placed his lowered his sword and returned it to it's place attached to his back, where the white cloth wrapping suddenly wrapped itself around itself and the leather cord on his back.

"Sure Neliel." he mumbled as he walked away. Sniffing the air, he found a familiar scent of citrus oranges and tracked it down.

Reaching it's location soon enough, he found the source of the citrus orange scent in the form of a bobcat demoness with orange hair pulled back a ponytail that reached her mid-back in length, unlike how she normally wore it in a messy bun. Her gray eyes were set in firm concentration while her face revealed determination. The white outer haori with black lines and dots on the hem fluttered slightly in the gentle breeze. Her black kimono top and pants, held together by a white ribbon obi, shifted slightly as she took a few cautious steps forward, her white socked feet in sandals barely making a sound. In her obi, an empty black polished sheath rested, but in her hands, she held a wakazashi that had an oval guard and red braided cloth hilt.

Circling the demoness, as if stalking prey and looking for the right moment to pounce, was a female neko hanyou, who had long ebony black hair bound tightly in a braided ponytail that fell to her mid-back in length. Her light blue eyes, hidden behind red framed oval glasses, eyed her opponent, looking for any openings in her defenses. The white and green kimono top she wore, with the green mostly centered around the top and her neck, ruffled lightly with each step she moved. The short green battle skirt she wore left little to the imagination, but was mainly a diversion used against male, and some female, opponents. Long black socks reached up to her calves, with comfortable shoes on her feet. In her right hand, she held a sword with a rectangular golden guard, while in her left was a polished black sheath.

"Are you going to attack or not, Lisa?" the bobcat demoness questioned with visible irritation dripping from it.

Still circling, Lisa casually remarked "Perhaps, Orihime."

"Yo, Lisa, Orihime, can you call it quits for a moment." Ichigo spoke up as he approached the pair.

Eyes shifting towards the location of the quarter demon approaching them, a smile crept onto Orihime's face, but was quickly wiped away when she felt the cool steel of neko's blade pressed against her throat.

"You lost your focus and dropped your guard, Orihime. You lose, again." Lisa stated as she took her sword away from the demoness's neck and sheathed her blade. "Thanks for the distraction, Ichigo."

Angered, the quarter bobcat started to retort, but was stopped by the sound of the bobcat demoness sheathing her sword. "It's alright, Ichigo. She's right, I lost."

Flashing eyes of determination towards the neko hanyou, she added "But next time I won't lose."

"Good to hear you're still going to try. Till next time, Orihime." the neko said with a smile before vanishing in a flash.

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Ichigo apologetically said "I'm sorry I distracted you."

"Don't worry about it, Ichigo." Orihime remarked with a smile. "It was my own fault for losing my concentration. I guess I'll just have to try harder next time to keep focused."

Nodding his head, the orange haired quarter demon spoke up, saying "Neliel wanted the two of us to meet her on the end where Hachi is."

Frowning, the bobcat demoness asked "Why? Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure myself. She just suddenly stopped our sparring session, saying for me to fetch you and that both of us were to meet her before Hachi." Ichigo answered nonchalantly.

Acknowledging his statement with a nod, the demoness started walking in the direction the two were to meet up with the leader of the village. Slanting her eyes to the side to find that the quarter demon had fallen in step with her, she couldn't help but inwardly smile.

"In three years time, we've grown somewhat closer, but we've yet to mate. I know I can't rush him. Not only is his heart mending, but mine is also."

An image of the quarter demon beside her wearing a white bone mask with maroon stripes down the left side of it flashed through the demoness's mind. A chill ran down her spine from the memory.

"And then there is still his Hollowfication powers that scare me. I know I mustn't be afraid, but I can't help it. When I think about those eyes, they're not Ichigo's at all. It's like they belong to someone else."

Unknowingly folding her arms across her chest and clenching her forearms with her clawed hands tightly, the bobcat mumbled further in her mind "And when Ichigo looks at me with those eyes, it's like he doesn't even see me, just like…"

Flashing through her mind was a familiar face of a young man with spiky red hair and auburn eyes. His face suddenly was covered by a mask, turning his eyes a glowing red color.

"Orihime?"

Snapped out of her mental image by the sound of the quarter demon beside her, the demoness looked over to find a concerned look on his face. Picking up the scent of blood, she frowned when she realized it was her own blood's scent.

"Are you alright? You were squeezing your arms so tight that your claws dug into your skin."

Realizing slimy crimson liquid was on the tips of her claws, Orihime examined her clothed forearms and found that five small dots of red had formed on her white haori on both sides from where she had pierced herself. Flicking the blood off of her claws and wiping the remaining part off on her black pants, she weakly chuckled, earning her a scowl from the quarter demon.

Shaking her head, the demoness softly said "I guess I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't realize what I was doing. I'm sorry I worried you."

Finding an unconvinced look still on the quarter demon's face, the demoness smiled brightly and added "I'm fine."

Seemingly accepting that answer at last, the quarter demon continued onwards in the direction that they had been walking in. Following up beside of him, the demoness fell silent and the pair moved on for a few moments until they at last arrived at their destination.

Noting Neliel was speaking with the pink haired man as they approached, Ichigo came to a stop and asked "What's going on, Neliel? It's not like you to stop training without a reason."

Turning towards the pair, the teal haired demoness smoothly replied "Someone is skimming along the outside of our barrier. Both Hachi and I detected it. I already have a good idea on who has come to pay me a visit. I want both of you to come with me, just in case."

"Do you think things will not end well, Lady Neliel?" Orihime questioned.

Sliding her hazel eyes shut before reopening them slowly to show uncertainty within them, Neliel answered "I'm unsure. I only hope it doesn't come to that."

Regaining her composure, she added "Come on, let's go. Open the barrier and let us out, Hachi."

"Very well, Lady Neliel." the pink haired burly man said as he clasped his hands together. In a flash, a hole appeared before the three, prompting them to step through and escape to the outside.

Taking off like a shot out of a gun, the teal haired demoness raced towards the southern side of the village. Reaching it with her two companions following closely, she gently reached out, touching an invisible wall. Her hand glowed with a light purple aura for a moment until an orange glow formed near where her hand was. Instantly, a hole formed, allowing safe passage out from the external barrier of the village.

All three stepped out, causing the barrier to once more seal itself away, leaving no trace of it's existence behind. Immediately upon searching the area, a demonic aura made itself present to the three, putting the two bobcats on full alert.

Walking silently towards the trio with his hands stuffed into his white pants pockets was a bat demon with short black hair, emerald eyes, porcelain white flawless skin, twin green tear trails down his cheeks for demonic markings, and a strange bone like helmet that covered the left half of his head with a single horn sticking out to the left from it. The clothing he wore was a simple white silk kimono top and pants, held together by a black obi belt, and a set of coattails that trailed behind him and down to his ankles. Tucked away in his obi was a sword that had a light green braided hilt and sheath. Black socks covered his feet with a pair of white sandals under them.

Remaining quiet for a moment as he approached, the bat demon suddenly came to a stop with a distance of six feet between himself and the trio. In a kind voice, he said "Neliel Tu Oderschvank, it is a pleasure to see you after so many years."

"Likewise, Ulquiorra Cifer." Neliel tersely answered.

Regarding the teal haired demoness silently for a moment, Ulquiorra allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "It has taken many years to find you once again, Neliel. You look well."

"You look the same." the demoness stated in a cold tone.

"Tell me, did you not receive the requests I sent out to meet with you? It has been quite bothersome to track you down once more so we could speak."

Evenly, the teal haired demoness responded with "I have nothing to discuss with you, Ulquiorra. If you have business here, state it now."

"Straight to the point, as always I see. You and I always were ones to wish to not engage in small talk. After all, it is trivial and pointless." the bat demon commented. "Very well, I shall get straight to the point. Lord Sasuke Uchiha of the Eastern Lands extends an offer to you to become one of his generals. You may bring your students with you, and they will be given rank also. Lord Sasuke believes this will be fair compensation for them."

Cold hazel eyes bore into emerald as Neliel smoothly said "I decline."

Facial expression unchanging, Ulquiorra retorted "Do take some time to think about it, Neliel. It is not something Lord Sasuke believes that you will decide on immediately. He has instructed me to remain in the area until you have come to a decision."

"Do not test my patience, Ulquiorra." Neliel dangerously replied. "I know you are not hard of hearing, but I will once more say it. I decline the Eastern Lord's offer."

Staring one another down for a few moments, the demoness added "You of all people should know I choose to remain true to our master's desire."

Closing his eyes and softly chuckling before opening his emerald eyes, Ulquiorra answered "Ah, I remember our master's desire. It was to not take sides with any of the Four Lands."

"You may remember it, but you refuse to honor it." the demoness tightly countered. "Why you would disobey his words, I do not know."

Silence filled the air for a few moments until the bat demon calmly said "You always were one to follow our former master's commands to the letter. Grimmjow never could follow his instructions, but you and I were different. On occasion, I saw that to live by our master's code, you had to allow many things to happen that should not. That is why I disobey his words."

"However, you follow, if not cling to it. I wonder if that is due to that incident."

Hazel eyes widening a fraction, the teal haired demoness growled out "Be quiet."

Ignoring her demand, the bat demon continued on, saying "I believe it was many years ago that you became this way, right after the death of that young prince."

With her façade crumbling, Neliel whispered "Stop it…"

"This very prince was a good friend of our master's, as well as your own. I remember, he was a young wolf demon, who was quite famous for his handsome face, but shy disposition. You and he became good friends."

Trembling with her lower lip quivering, the demoness whimpered out "Stop…"

Paying no heed to her, Ulquiorra pressed on and smoothly said "The two of you remained friends for nearly a decade before at long last the two of you started courting. Our master approved of your relationship with the prince, as did the prince's father. It seemed all would be well for the two of you, until that day."

"PLEASE, STOP!" Neliel screamed with her eyes glassy.

"On that day of the incident, the two of you were to mate that night. A mage came into the land that day, one with the power to control those around him. In the end, he pitted you against your mate-to-be. I fought with the mage in the meantime. During my battle, I heard a sickening scream, causing me to turn and see that you had killed the young prince with no sign of regret or emotion on your face. You had coldly murdered him in cold blood."

Falling to her knees, Neliel shook her head furiously as tears sprung from her hazel eyes. "It's not true! I … I …"

"I saw with my own eyes, Neliel." Ulquiorra filled in. "You killed your mate-to-be with no regret or hesitation. You did it, knowing the consequences. Oh, you cried afterwards for hours on end while holding his corpse in your arms, screaming how sorry you were. But we all knew who was at fault. It was not the mage, but you."

Turning her head upwards, revealing the many tears streaming down her face, the teal haired demoness released a pained scream. Sobbing loudly, she fell forward onto the ground, letting all of her sadness out.

Without warning, Ichigo raced past the demoness and straight up to Ulquiorra with his blade drawn. With a crazed look on his face, he struck out at the bat demon, only to have his attack blocked by the right wrist of the demon. The blade and the demon's arm ground against one another, with light blue demonic energy pouring out over the blade of the quarter demon.

"Damn you, how dare you do this to Neliel! Have you no respect for her feelings!" Ichigo snarled out.

"How unexpected. Despite not knowing Neliel's past, you come to her rescue." Ulquiorra dryly drawled.

Light blue demonic energy flared behind the quarter demon as he snarled out "You bastard!"

The two continued to grind against one another for nearly a minute before the quarter demon leapt backwards. Coming to a skidding stop, he drew his sword in front of his body.

"Orihime, take Neliel and move back."

Gray eyes widening, Orihime softly said "But Ichigo…"

Cut off, the quarter demon curtly declared "This guy thinks he can do whatever he wants without any consequences. Unfortunately, he'll find out that harming any of my friends does have consequences. Things won't turn out the way he'd like."

Gripping his blade tightly, the quarter demon firmly added "I'm going at this guy with everything I've got."

Quickly grabbing the teal haired demoness in a flash and reappearing several feet away, the bobcat demoness could not help but worriedly look at the back of the quarter demon.

"Ichigo, be careful. Don't get hurt." she whispered within her mind.

Suddenly, a dark black demonic aura with red outlining it erupted around the quarter demon, bathing him within it. The aura engulfed not only his body, but his blade also. It suddenly intensified, flaring wildly around his body.

"BANKAI!"