Hello to everyone out there once more. So, what's been up since last week. Well, lots to be honest, lol. My dad and I got all of the hay up at my grandmother's farm, thankfully, and now we've moved over to dad's farm, so yay. We should be done maybe Thursday or Friday. Not sure which yet. Ah yes, over the weekend, I did get a bit sicker. I have been sick for the last 3-4 weeks for those who didn't know. I had been coughing to the point that I could no longer breath. I was literally gasping for air, which is a scary feeling, let me assure you of that much for those who can't understand it. Anyways, I've been to the doctor 3 times and they think they finally had it figured out, but guess what. They were WRONG! They thought I may have acid reflux, which I could I guess, but it's not the main cause of my problems. I found that out this weekend, for sure. Saturday, I began taking a sore throat, plus threw up a few times during coughing fits, which was somewhat new. I took it easy that day, but seemed to be progressively be getting worse as the day wore on. Finally, all night and morning of Saturday and Sunday, I was miserable. I kept waking up with coughing fits, which caused me to throw up either food or snot. Nice disgusting thought, right? Anyways, I finally decided to go to the emergency room Sunday morning. Luckily, there wasn't many people there. I got x-rayed, blood work, and all that fun stuff done to me. They discovered I had a severe sinus infection. Btw, right before I had gotten sick, I had had a sinus infection, and the ER doctor determined I just never got over it most likely and it festered into it's current state. In the last two days, I've felt much better. I no longer take those harsh coughing fits. Instead, I cough a bit, spit up snot, then move on. Hopefully I'm well on my way to recovery. I hope at the least. Anyways, that's my life in a nutshell for this time.
Writing wise, I'm getting some done, though it's slow due to a busy workplace and home life. I'll try and speed up the updates, but no guarantees still. For now, I'll keep my every two week rule in effect till I get confident enough that I'm capable of posting weekly.
Moving along, it's time for my favorite part. That's right, reviews!
Kattana: I'm glad you found this story and am keeping up with it. Yep, there was a bit of action during the first chapter. I'm sure everyone hopes things turn out good for Lilly since it's her first visit home in a while. Thanks for the review!
Espada Zero: Glad you found this story also. Yep, the sequel is finally coming out for Another in the form of Reunion. Heh, yeah, I decided to add Uryu to the story. The other guy, Sai, is from Naruto Shippuden actually. He's the replacement that was dragged in for Sasuke. A strange pick, I know, but he seemed to fit. We'll see where this story goes. Never know, it could be something that no one was expecting. Heh, bring in the Arrancars you say? I don't know about that one. We'll see. The type of demons you picked for the two does seem to fit. Again, we'll see. Nah, I've not seen Avatar, but I've heard a lot about it. I just don't have Nickledeon is why. It's a crime! If I get a chance, I'll take a look at your stories. Thanks for the review, plus adding this story to your favs and alerts!
mcsnellies: You stole my avatar from… Crap, I can't remember where I have that avatar at, lol. But I know I have it! Lol, anyways, yeah, thanks for the comments. It should look familiar since you read it for me. Thanks for the review and add to your updates!
The Rainwalker: Hey there. Nice to see you're checking out my other stories. Heh, you may have a bit of difficulty on figuring out what's happening to be honest. To fully understand what's happening, you'd have to read through Another first. In that story is where you meet Lilly and Iya from the get go and find out why Lilly is the way she is. She's a human who had a spell cast on her by a mage that turned her into a half demon and would have been his slave with no will if not for the fact Iya and company killed him before the spell could complete. Again, you may want to read Another to fully understand what's going on. Yes, I used Kenshin Himura from Ruroni Kenshin as one of the villains in the previous story. And yep, Iya's partner he traveled with for a twenty some years was Ichigo Kurosaki. Hmm, didn't notice the grammar when I proofread it last time. I'll have to take a look. LOL! I'll try to keep this story happier than Minutes to Midnight was, hehe. Thanks for the review!
CJ – Lady of Gryffindor: Heh, more you say? Well, it's coming. Ichigo is invisible at the moment, lol. True, I did say he would be somewhere, but we'll see, won't we? Thanks for the review and add to your updates!
Well, that's that for this week. Wow, 5 reviews from last week. Pretty nice. Thanks to all five of you for your input and comments. I really like hearing what people have to say about my stories. It's a lot of help in the long run. Thanks to all of you once more. And to any who read the first chapter but didn't review, please do feel free to do so. I won't bite your head off. I always respond to my readers, one way or another, so feel free to say what you think.
At any rate, I'm done for today. I hope you all like this chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
Slightly smirking, Iya coolly said "Took you long enough to notice the aura of my mate's sword. She lost her concentration on suppressing it's demonic aura a good ten minutes ago. I'm surprised you didn't get here sooner."
Glaring at the young man brandishing the large sword, the young man with glasses turned his attention to the elder man and woman, asking "Headman Tarja and Lady Miralla, are you two alright?"
Waking from their stupor, both Tarja and Miralla nodded slowly. Nodding in return, the young man with glasses caught a glimpse of the other young man beside of himself staring at the young woman between the Headman and his wife.
"Lilly?" questioned the young man with the energy bow. "Is that you?"
Taking a few steps forward, the youngest of the pair of archers began releasing tension on his bow, only to come to a stop by the thundering voice of his comrade.
"SAI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"
Glancing back, Sai quietly replied "Master Uryū, that's my cousin. The one that I told you about disappeared a little over six months ago."
"Regardless of your relation, remain at your post. If that guy over there wanted to, he could have killed you for dropping your guard, plus you were in my path, meaning I wouldn't have been able to intercept his attack." Uryū firmly stated.
Understanding his master's words, Sai returned to the side of Uryū and reapplied tension to his bow. Looking towards the pair of archers, the elder man in a calm, but demanding voice, spoke up, asking "What is happening, Master Quincy?"
"Those two people that are visiting with you are carrying demonic swords. The one with the large halberd has the stronger of the two, for the energy radiating from it is tremendous. That young lady with the two of you has one as well, but her sword is not radiating as much demonic energy." Uryū explained.
"There must be some mistake, Master Quincy." Miralla chimed in. "This is our missing daughter, Lilly. The young man over there, we do not know him, but she trusts him and told us he brought her home."
Not lowering his weapon, the young man with glasses calmly replied "It doesn't matter. Both are carrying demonic weapons. When I first came to this village, you told me that your daughter was taken by a demon after the demon mage known as Kenshin Himura had attacked. You then told me that the day after a young female demon came into the village masquerading as your daughter. She was dressed in your daughter's clothing, but you choose to not believe her and attempted to kill her, only to be stopped by the same demon that had taken your daughter the day before. He then took that female demon out of the village."
"I believe that the two humans in this room are those very same demons. They are somehow concealing their powers."
Without warning, the young man brandishing the large halberd began chuckling, making the group turn their attention to him. Finally regaining his composure, he calmly said "You know how to spin a good tale, but you're not quite right. We are not concealing our demonic powers for three reasons. One, you were half right about us suppressing the aura's that our swords are releasing, but that was all we were suppressing. Two, we are not full fledged demons. We are only half demons. Three, since I will no doubt have to spell it out for some in this room if they haven't already figured it out, hanyou's have a single night during the month when they lose their demonic powers and become ordinary humans. This is our night of weakness."
Processing the words of young man, Uryū remained still for a few moments before slowly commanding "Identify yourself."
"It is proper manners for one to introduce himself, not demand who another is." Iya rebutted.
Feeling annoyed and angered by the words and correction of his target, the young man with glasses coolly said "My name is Uryū Ishida. I am the Quincy who protects this village."
"A Quincy?" Iya murmured. Softly smiling, he calmly added "I've heard of the Quincy. They are priests who fight using bows and arrows, much like priestesses. Unlike priestesses though that carry physical bows and arrows, a Quincy fights using their own spiritual powers to form a bow and their arrows, thus keeping them from being caught without a weapon in hand."
Eyeing the Quincy for a moment, the young man with the sword before himself continued on, saying "Quincy's are rather rare anymore though. I had heard that almost all were dead during my travels. I have never met one in person, but from the descriptions I was told of, they are fierce in battle and will not give an inch. I also heard that they are quite prideful and will do anything to protect the people they care about."
"You know a lot about Quincy's for not ever meeting them, half breed." Uryū coldly stated.
Shrugging, Iya calmly replied "I was forced to study up on humans and demons as a child, so Quincy's naturally came into my studies."
Glaring at the young man, the young man with glasses coldly said "You've yet to tell me who you are. Be quick about it, for if I don't get the answer I want, I will not hesitate to shoot you. Human, demon, or hanyou, whichever you are, you will not survive a shot at close range. Now tell me who you are and your reason for being in this village."
Keeping his gaze locked on the Quincy before himself, the young man with the large halberd calmly said "My name is Iya Taisho, son of the former Lord of the Western Lands, Inutaisho Taisho, and half brother to the current Lord of the Western Lands, Sesshomaru Taisho."
Seeing a bit of shock within the eyes of the glasses wearing Quincy, Iya couldn't help but mentally chuckle. Remaining calm on the outside, he added "As for my business in this village, I am here with my mate, who wished to visit her family. We came on our human night since her parents would not believe her the last time she saw them over six months ago as a neko hanyou."
"You lie!" Tarja heatedly yelled. "Our daughter is not some beast!"
"Headman Tarja, remain calm." Uryū spoke up in a firm voice. Seeing that the Headman had listened to him, the Quincy returned his attention to the young man before him. "You say you came here with your mate. Do you mean that the daughter of Headman Tarja and Lady Miralla, Lilly Takashi, is your mate?"
Not even hesitating, Iya firmly replied "Yes, I do mean to say that. We have been mates for just barely over six months."
Quickly, before the Quincy had a chance to interrupt, the young man with the large halberd added "And before you ask, no, I did not take her forcefully. It was her choice to become my mate. You can examine our mating marks if you don't believe me. After all, being a Quincy, you should know about demon mating rituals, how a male marks a female. But on rare occasion, when a pair of demons loves one another, a male will allow a female to mark him."
Remaining quiet for a moment, Uryū slowly spoke up, saying "Lady Miralla, I want you to do me a favor."
"What do you wish me to do?"
Keeping his eyes trained on the young man with the halberd, the Quincy with glasses calmly responded with "I wish for you to lower the collar of your daughter on the left side of her neck and look to see if she has a marking. It should be a pair of dots."
Confused at the request, Miralla nodded and crept forward to before her daughter. Reaching up carefully, she pulled down the collar of the young woman to find as the Quincy had described to her.
"Yes, there is a marking with two dots." the elder of the women commented before letting go of her daughter's collar.
Silence enveloped the room for a moment before Iya spoke up, saying "Quincy, I have no desire to fight with you or your apprentice. The only reason we are here is so my mate can visit with her family and explain to them what happened over six months ago, and to catch up on what has happened since then."
"I will not harm a single villager while here. It goes against my honor to harm or kill humans due that I am part human also. But should anyone attempt to harm my mate, I will protect her with necessary force. I will not allow any harm to come to her."
Remaining quiet for a moment, the elder Quincy calmly said "Headman Tarja, I don't view this hanyou to be a threat, nor your daughter…"
"Our daughter is no beast!" Miralla angrily chimed in.
Sighing, Uryū gently released the tension on his bow and allowed the energy arrow to dissipate into nothingness. A moment passed before his bow vanished as well. Reaching up and pushing his glasses against his nose, he replied "Whether you believe it or not, this guy, the brother of the Lord of the West is in our presence. I choose to believe him due that he has no reason to lie to any of us. What would be the point to lie?"
"He could be plotting to take our daughter again, along with the other young women of our village!" Tarja accused.
Releasing another sigh, this one more pronounce, the elder Quincy sharply remarked "If he was going to do that, don't you think he'd have done it already? It is obvious to me that these two have no intensions of harming the village, or any of it's villagers. Both came during the night they become human, proving to me that they have no desire to fight. If they had, they'd have been here in hanyou form."
"However, both Sai and I will remain here to watch the pair. Though the two of them seem to have no ill intentions, I cannot allow a possible threat to the village to remain here unguarded."
Lowering his sword, Iya reversed the transformation and sheathed his sword before quietly replying "That seems fair enough for me."
Not acknowledging the young man with the now sheathed sword, the elder Quincy walked over to the far corner of the room and took a seat. Deciding to make himself comfortable as well, Iya leaned back up against the wall he had had himself propped up against earlier and slid his eyes shut once more, while his senses remained at high alert.
Releasing a small sigh of relief, Sai dismissed his own energy bow. Remaining where he stood for a moment, he finally began walking over to Lilly and stopping a foot from her. "Is that really you, Lilly?"
"It's really me, Sai." Lilly assured with a smile. "It seems you found a new master to teach you the ways of the Quincy. I'm glad to see you didn't give up. And it looks like you got a bit stronger since the last time I saw you."
Blushing lightly at the praise of his cousin, he quietly replied "Well, I've been working hard under Master Uryū so I can one day protect our home."
Without warning, the young Quincy suddenly felt himself wrapped in a warm embrace. It immediately dawned on him that it was his cousin. Reaching to his shoulder where her head laid, he gently patted her head and felt his shoulder getting slightly wet. Sadly smiling, he continued to pat her head till finally his cousin pulled back, revealing tears in her eyes.
"I was worried that the village may come under attack again once I left. I wasn't sure what would happen to you." Lilly quietly mumbled.
Sadly smiling at his cousin, Sai replied "After the attack, I found out that my former master had died in battle against Kenshin. Apparently, he was the first to be cut down by him. Once things had settled and we couldn't find you, I decided to find another Quincy to train me and to help protect the village."
"While on my journey, I was attacked by demons and nearly killed. If not for Master Uryū coming to my aide, I probably wouldn't be here any longer. It was he that saved me and took me under his wing to train me. Since then, we've stayed here at the village. He even brought in some builders to help build a defensive wall around the village."
Nodding while wiping her tears away, the young woman smiled and said "I saw it when we were outside of the village."
"Lilly."
Turning to find it was her father that spoke up, the young woman heard him say "It is time you told us what is going on. I want to know all of it."
Casting a glance at her mate who was remaining quiet, but had cracked his eyes open and was looking towards her, Lilly returned her attention to her parents and quietly said "Alright, I'll tell you, but please, keep an open mind."
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Staring up at the full moon that hovered across the middle of the sky, a young man with long butt length white hair that hung freely and a pair of white dog ears on top of his head glanced off in the direction of the north. His clothing consisted of a fine silk white haori with matching white pants and a purple obi sash. Attached on his backside, just above his butt, was a pair of silver blades, with one laying on top of the other. Each had intricate designs within them on the upper part of the blades, with each having runic writing inscribed into them.
A light breeze blew up without warning while the sound of someone landing nearby caused the young man to cast his muddy brown eyes to his left. There, he found another young man, this one with wild spiky brown hair that stood up, with a muscular, but lean body build, powerful hands, pointed ears, and sharp dark brown eyes. A red headband was wrapped around his head, with two long flowing pieces of it reaching his mid-back in length. His clothing consisted of an open white tattered kimono top that revealed his chiseled out chest, a pair of white pants that were tied with a band, and white wrapping around his waist that rose up to just below his pecks. On the back of the kimono top embroidered in black was a symbol that represented the word 'bad'. In one hand, he held a large, five foot long dull gray halberd that had many scratches on it. The hilt of the sword itself was four feet in length and was seemingly made of pure wood.
"Yo." was the only word the brown haired young man said.
Looking without emotions crossing his face, the white haired man calmly replied "Where were you, Sanosuke?"
"I was just out walking around. Don't get bent out of shape at me over that, Yukio."
Feeling the breeze pick up once more, Yukio returned his vision towards the north. After a moment, he finally spoke up once more, saying "I can sense them again. It seems they're stopped for the night. We need to move while we can. Are you ready, Kenji?"
Stepping out from the shadows of the nearby forest was a young man with brown hair that was bound in a ponytail that reached his shoulder blades in length and long bangs, violet eyes, and pointed ears. His clothing was a simple violet colored kimono top, with sleeves that reached just above his elbows in length, black gloves that revealed his fingers but ran up to just below his elbows, a white pair of pants, and a white obi sash. On his left hip was a sword with a blue braided hilt and a round guard, within a black sheath.
"Yes, I am ready to leave." Kenji replied while joining the pair. "I look forward to this."
Moving towards the target he sensed with his companions following, Yukio's eyes hardened as he mentally mumbled "Mother, I shall avenge you tonight. I swear, I will end his life for what he did to you."
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After talking for several hours and listening to their daughter's tale, Tarja and Miralla at long last decided to go to bed. The offered for Lilly to use her old room to sleep in, but on the stipulation that Iya not sleep with her in there. Deciding against leaving her mate to deal with both Quincy, the young woman opted to remain by her mate's side instead, much to the chagrin of her parents. Too tired to argue, the pair went to bed, leaving the two Quincy behind with the pair of mates.
Slowly, over the course of the hour they had been left with the two Quincy, Lilly had finally fallen asleep on Iya's shoulder, who finally shifted her so that she was laying in his lap. Even though he preferred to watch his mate sleep, the young man kept his eyes glued to the elder of the two Quincy.
The other, Sai, had opted to sleep after his master had told him he could. He had immediately gotten up and walked over to the nearby corner of the hut and fell asleep instantly, leaving only Uryū and Iya awake.
Both stared at one another, with neither saying a word for an hour. Without warning, Uryū suddenly spoke up, asking "How many priests and priestesses have you killed?"
Confused and shocked at the question, Iya cast a glare at the Quincy before softly saying "If we're going to talk, let's go outside."
"I agree."
Carefully, Iya lifted his mate's head up off of his lap and gently set her back down onto the cushion he had been sitting upon. Looking down at his mate, he kneeled down and placed a light feathery kiss onto her head before smiling at her form.
"She looks so beautiful when she's asleep, but that's not saying while she's awake she isn't."
Standing up, the young man turned towards the door of the hut and walked out to find the Quincy was already outside and seemingly waiting on him. Staring at one another for a moment, the Quincy finally spoke up.
"Now that we're alone, answer my question."
Remaining calm, Iya remarked "For someone who said they trust me enough to think I won't harm anyone within the village, you sure are curious about my past. Does it put you at unease that I may have fought or killed priests or priestesses in the past?"
"I want to know what I'm dealing with." Uryū replied in a clipped tone.
Releasing a heavy sigh, the young man in black glanced up at the night sky, seeing the moon was already moving towards the far end of the sky, signifying the night would end within a couple of hours. Seeing this, the Quincy growled lightly and raised his right arm up. Light blue energy began forming around his gloved hand.
"No need to be so hasty." Iya commented. Seeing the Quincy dispelled the light blue energy, he continued on, saying "The complete and honest truth is I've never killed a priest or priestess. In fact, I've only met a handful, twenty or so, I suppose, during my lifetime."
"The first few I met were while I was a child living in the Western Stronghold. My father introduced me to a few that were friends with him. Over time, I met a few more in different villages when I began helping protect the Western Lands. Once I was sent away to track down and kill The Thirteen, a group of powerful demon mages, I met a few more."
Glancing back up at the night sky, Iya added "During my travels, I was forced to fight seven of them. Three of them fled once I revealed how much power I had. Three others weren't convinced and fought me anyways, only to have me injure them enough so that they couldn't continue to battle me."
"And the last one?" Uryū questioned.
Sadly smiling while returning his vision to the young Quincy before him, the young man softly said "She was special, and I can never forget her."
Remaining quiet for a moment, Iya slowly spoke up, saying "Her name was Nariko. I met her back about two hundred years ago when I was chasing after The Thirteen. I had only been chasing them for fifty some years, but running into her was coincidental. Apparently, the day before, a hanyou, who was apparently starving, attacked and killed a few of the livestock of the village I was traveling near. Nariko was a priestess for the area, so she was dispatched to deal with the hanyou. She instead found me."
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Swiveling his ears to detect any sounds, Iya sniffed the air and sighed for the millionth time in the last few days. "Damn, still no sign of those troublesome mages. How could I have lost track of them again!?"
Without warning, the sound of an arrow flying through the air hit the ears of the hanyou, but before he could react, it pierced through his left shoulder and struck into the ground. Screaming out in pain, he reached up to his left shoulder with his right hand instinctively, but fell to one knee while panting heavily. Glancing at the arrow on the ground, he saw that it had a pink aura flaring off of it before finally losing it's aura. Gritting his teeth, he applied pressure to his shoulder, only to wince from the pain flaring up his left arm.
"I found you at last, half breed." a female voice declared behind the dog hanyou.
Forcing himself back to his feet, Iya turned to find a young woman with long straight free flowing bright red hair that reached her lower calves in length, which seemed to put into a ponytail with a pair of hair pins on the back of her head. Her eyes were a strange color of crimson that seemed exotic, while at the same time reflected a great deal of anger and hatred. She had a fine toned and muscular body build with heavily accented curves and tanned skin. Her clothing consisted of a thick looking white kimono top with golden leaf designs etched into it, a white battle skirt with similar designs that reached just a few inches below the curve of her butt, and thick white boots that came up to the middle of her calves in length. Slung over each of her shoulders were two quivers full of arrows, while a bow rested within her hands. Just above her butt, resting against her back horizontally, was a sword sitting within it's sheath, seemingly ready to be drawn at any time.
With a new arrow already notched, the young woman smirked victoriously, saying "You will pay for your crimes, half breed."
Still clutching his wound tightly, the dog hanyou flashed defiant eyes up at the red headed woman and grit his teeth as pain flared up his arm for a moment. Regaining his composure, he finally replied "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb with me, half breed! You know damn well that it was you that attacked that nearby village's livestock! Those people needed those animals to make it through the winter, and now they may not since you slaughtered a few to fill yourself on!" the red haired woman accused.
Brow furrowing, Iya calmly replied "I don't know what you mean. I am just passing through, and I haven't been here for more than a…"
"You're not talking your way out of this!" the young woman roared. "The villagers told me that a half breed was the one that attacked. They said he had black furry ears on his head and wore a black kimono. You fit their description most definitely!"
Digesting the young woman's words for a moment, the dog hanyou released a small sigh before quietly saying "I did not harm the local village's livestock, but I offer my services to help find the one that did do it."
"I'll have none of your lies!" the red headed woman hissed back.
Without warning, she unleashed the arrow she had held back, sending it racing towards the young hanyou with a pink color trailing it. Nimbly, the hanyou leapt to the side, dodging the arrow with the pink aura surrounding it. Launching himself into the air, the hanyou threw a glance at the young woman, only to gasp in surprise to see she already had another notched. Showing no hesitation, the red haired woman released the arrow at the hanyou. Still in mid-air, the hanyou threw himself out of the way, with the arrow narrowly missing him as he fell to the ground.
Wincing from the landing, the dog hanyou placed his right hand over his left shoulder wound once more, feeling blood still pouring out of it. "Damn it, just dodging her attacks and jumping around hurts like hell. Her miko energy that hit me must still be surrounding my wound, making it harder for my body to close up the wound."
"It hurts, doesn't it, half breed?"
Waking from his thoughts, Iya glanced up to see the red haired miko triumphantly smirking while she notched another arrow within her bow. Pink glowing energy immediately began forming around the arrow, making the hanyou inwardly groan.
"That wound I inflicted you with is special. Unlike most priestesses that tend to put a large amount of energy into their arrows and intend on purifying their target in one shot, I disperse the energy in mine so that if it makes contact with a target, it will simply form around the wound instead. That way I use less miko energy, plus the demon I fight will be weakened, not to mention their wounds won't close off easily. It means that no matter what happens, most likely, I will win the battle, even if I'm harmed. Losing a great deal of blood over time will bring down even the strongest demon or hanyou eventually."
"She's right about one thing. The longer I keep fighting her, the worse my wound will be. I need to get rid of her so I can treat it properly. That means I need to end this fight as quick as possible."
Hardening his muddy brown eyes, the hanyou removed his right hand from his wound, allowing blood to begin dripping down onto the ground again. Seeing this, the miko released her arrow without hesitation. In a flash, the hanyou dodged the attack, causing the arrow to harmlessly strike the ground.
Quickly notching another arrow, the miko carefully tracked the hanyou through the air and launched her arrow. Seeing it coming, the hanyou once more dodged in mid-air, but placed his index and middle fingers together on his right hand. Flicking his wrist at the miko, his blue laser whip fired from the pair of fingers and went racing towards the shocked young woman. Easily, the blue energy whip tore through the bow in the hands of the red haired miko, causing her to curse under her breath as she attempted to pull away. Before the whip could do any more damage, the hanyou jerked it back to himself, leaving the miko unharmed, but her bow in shambles.
Falling to the ground, Iya came to a skidding stop and quickly raised his right hand to cover his wound once more. Throwing a glance at the miko, the hanyou couldn't help but inwardly smirk at the anger flashing over her face.
"Your weapon is broken, priestess. I suggest you retreat since you are now unarmed." Iya commented.
Glaring at the hanyou, the miko angrily threw the remains of her bow to the ground and shrugged the two quivers of arrows off of her shoulders. Reaching behind herself and grabbing the hilt of her sword, the miko slowly drew it out and turned the blade towards the dog hanyou, with anger seething in her eyes.
In a dangerous tone, the red haired miko ground out "You will pay for destroying my bow. That was a gift from my sister."
"Milady, please, I ask you to stop this. I have no desire to fight you." the dog hanyou firmly responded.
"That is fine, meaning I can just kill you without resistance." the red haired miko remarked with determination flashing in her eyes. "I will kill you for your crimes committed against that village."
Growling lightly, the dog hanyou replied "I swear to you, I did not harm that village. I would never resort to stealing for a meal. Believe me, I did not do it!"
Moving towards the hanyou at a slow walk at first, the miko slowly picked up speed till she was finally at a dead run. Irritated, the dog hanyou quickly let go of his wound and wrapped his blood covered hand around the hilt of Ketsaiga. Drawing it, the hanyou watched the sword transform immediately into it's large halberd shape with the ring of black fur for a guard. Keeping his eyes on the miko, he watched as the blade of her sword suddenly began glowing with a pink aura.
"What the hell, she can channel her miko power up the blade too!?"
Seeing he had no choice but to guard against the attack, Iya quickly brought his sword before himself and parried the swing. The two blades clashed together, sending out a spray of sparks out along with the loud sound of steel striking steel. Feeling the miko had put quite a bit of force behind her swing, the hanyou dug his heals in, not allowing himself to be moved.
Without warning, the dog hanyou felt his sword's aura starting to falter. Pushing away, he leapt backwards to a safe distance of eight feet while feeling out his sword.
"Not good, she's pushing a lot of her miko power into the blade of her sword. At this rate, she'll reverse Ketsaiga's transformation after a while."
Awoken from his thoughts by a loud battle cry, he saw the miko charging him once more with her sword ready to strike. Deciding to avoid her blade this time, he dodged by leaping into the air, only to be followed by the miko.
"I've got you now you bastard!" the miko roared while swinging her blade horizontally at the hanyou.
In a rash decision, he quickly parried the attack, but instantly felt his blade's demonic aura waning upon the two blades clashing. Growling lowly, he pushed off from the miko and landed back onto the ground, only to see the red headed miko charging him once more. Again, the pair of blades clashed, causing the hanyou to sense his blade's aura fading again.
Without hesitation, he leapt backwards, only to be followed. The miko relentlessly swung her blade at the hanyou, only to miss occasionally as he used his agility to dodge her attacks. A few forced him to parry her, but he was quick to pull back upon the blades touching.
Coming to rest with a distance of ten feet between the two, the dog hanyou saw the miko panting lightly. Grimacing from a flare of pain from his left shoulder, Iya let the blade of Ketsaiga touch the ground while he kept his eyes locked onto the miko.
"She's good, but she's tiring. I bet running her miko energy up the blade of her sword takes a lot out of her. It has to. Still, she's proving to be more troublesome than I thought she would be. I need to end this so I can tend to my wound. It has yet to stop bleeding, meaning I'll start feeling lightheaded here in the near future if I keep moving around like I am. There is but one choice then."
Tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword, the hanyou watched as the blade of his sword began coating itself in ice while frosty white steam poured off of it. Seeing the transformation was complete, he cringed lightly while picking the blade up off of the ground and laying it square onto his right shoulder.
"I don't know what you're up to, half breed, but it won't work against me." the red haired miko firmly stated while raising her blade up.
Remaining calm, Iya calmly countered with "I suggest you stop this fight, now. I don't want to harm you."
Anger flashing from her eyes, the miko charged forward, snarling out "You will not beat me, you half breed bastard!"
Watching the miko race towards him, the hanyou brought the ice coated sword off of his shoulder to before his body. Bringing it back, he readied it as the miko finally reached him and slashed out at him with her blade. Parrying her attack, his sword made contact with the backend of her blade, just a few inches above the guard. For a moment, nothing happened, until suddenly the miko's blade began creaking and popping loudly. Without warning, the miko's blade broke at the point where the hanyou had struck, sending the heavy chunk of metal to the ground and clanging lightly.
Surprised and gasping, the miko leapt backwards to look at the few inches she had left of her sword with a shocked and saddened look. Grasping the hilt of her sword tightly, she threw a heated glare at the hanyou, who portrayed no emotions on his face, other than serenity.
Reversing his blade's transformation back into it's smaller sword form, the hanyou sheathed his sword and calmly said "This battle is over. I trust you know that."
Turning away, the hanyou couldn't help but whimper in his mind as pain flared up his left shoulder. Placing his right hand over the wound, he took a few steps away from the battlefield before coming to a stop.
"I swear to you on my honor, Priestess, that I did not attack that village's livestock. I am many things, but a thief, no. My father raised me better."
"What would a half breed know of honor?" the miko ground out with her eyes downcast and her bangs shadowing her eyes.
Turning to face the priestess, Iya retorted "My name is Iya Taisho, son of the former Demon Lord of the West, Inutaisho Taisho."
Hearing a small gasp, the dog hanyou continued on, saying "If I committed such a heinous crime, I would be tarnishing not only my own name, but the name of my father. Obviously, I would never do so, for that would bring shame upon the memory of my father. Believe me when I say I had nothing to do with that attack on the village."
Finishing, the dog hanyou began moving away from the battlefield once more, leaving a stunned and silent miko behind.
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"You left her there, alone and unarmed!?" Uryū fiercely questioned.
Sighing slightly, Iya nodded his head silently replied "I realize that, but I just figured she'd just mope around for a while and then go back to whatever village she came from."
Releasing another sigh, the dog hanyou added "Little did I know I was so wrong."
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Still clutching his wound tightly, the black haired dog hanyou couldn't help but let out a dejected sigh while removing his hand for a moment to see if the wound had stopped bleeding. Finding his hand was still coated in a fresh layer of his crimson life force, he returned his hand and clutched the wound tightly.
"Damn, she was more trouble than I thought she'd be. I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings. Sesshomaru would have had a good laugh at me for being wounded by a human like that."
Sniffing the air, the hanyou stopped in his tracks. Inhaling the scents around him, he frowned and glanced over his shoulder at the direction he had been walking from.
"Those scents I'm picking up, they're human, but there is a demon mixed in with them. I can differentiate at least eleven scents, and the strongest is a demon, I'm sure of it. They must have found that priestess. I wonder if she can even protect herself without her weapons..."
Remaining still for a moment, Iya suddenly felt the sword on his hip pulsate once. Realizing why it was, he let out a heavy sigh and turned around and slowly began walking back the way he had come.
In a gruff tone, he muttered "I can't believe I'm going to do this."
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Hearing a commotion ahead, the hanyou slowly began to pick up speed. He had only been a few miles away when he had picked up the scent of the humans and the lone demon, but the closer he got, the more his blood boiled. The air carried to him the scent of blood that belonged to a human, as well as the scent of charred flesh.
"That miko must be able to fight hand to hand using her miko powers. Even if she is, against eleven enemies, she'd stand no chance. I need to hurry."
Picking up his pace another notch, the hanyou moved into a full speed sprint. Grimacing from the fact his wound was sending pain flaring up and down his left shoulder again, he pushed it to the back of his mind and concentrated on the sounds and scents ahead.
Breathing in the scents, the hanyou's brow immediately furrowed. "I'm picking up a single demon among the group. He smells like a bull demon. Just my luck..."
Hearing screams and cries of protest much clearer now, the hanyou heard the young miko screaming out "LET ME GO YOU BASTARDS! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"
"She's a lively one, isn't she boys?"
"Rip the rest of those clothes off! I want to see what she looks like and get a taste!"
Hearing screaming and protesting from the miko, the hanyou also picked up the sound of clothing ripping. Grimacing mentally at the thoughts of what the men were getting ready to do, the hanyou pushed his body towards the outer limits of his ability to handle pain, only to have a mental image of a young woman laying on the ground near him with bloody claw marks and blood covering her body, and tattered clothing laying nearby.
"Not until I've had my fill of her. Just get her tied up. That little bitch used her powers on me, but I can tell that she's pretty weak at the moment. Looks like someone took the pleasure of disarming her and wearing her out for us."
The voice of what Iya decided was the bull demon's woke him from his thoughts, forcing him to focus on the task at hand. "No, this isn't like what happened in the past. No matter what, I must reach her!"
Hearing laughing of the men and the panicked cries of the miko, the dog hanyou finally burst through a line of trees to find the group of men and the same miko he had fought previously. Her clothing was missing but was nearby laying on the ground, ripped into nothing but rags, while five men held her down: one on each arm and leg, and another at her head that appeared to be pulling at his own clothing. On her stomach, there was a deep looking gash with blood coming from it, and another deep wound on her right upper arm that looked to go to the bone.
Seeing one man sitting between the legs of the miko and beginning to pull his pants off, Iya determined that was the bull demon, but disguised in a human form. Without a second thought, he brought his index and middle finger together and released his blue laser whip at the man, purposely aiming for his head.
Before the whip could hit, the man rolled out of the way, allowing the whip to hit nothing but thin air. Not wanting to hit the miko, the hanyou quickly recalled his whip while casting a glare at his missed target.
Watching the man he had missed come to rest and grab a large battleaxe that was on a hilt that was six feet in length and slowly began standing back up, the hanyou got a better look at him. He had long dark brown hair that reached his mid-back in length, sinister looking red eyes, and a large muscular build. His clothing was a pair of tight fitting black brown pants and a dark red kimono top that looked like the color of blood.
Glaring at the hanyou, the man snorted out "Insolent half breed, I'll kill you for interrupting me."
"Step away from her if you value your lives." Iya stated in a firm voice that didn't waver. "You will not defile her."
Sneering, the man with the dark red top smartly asked "Is that so? I take it you're the one she was fighting before. Yes, I can smell your blood. She was fighting you and you so kindly disarmed her for us, which I am appreciative of. If not for that, she'd have been more irritating to capture."
"Leave and I'll let you and your men live. Choose to stay and I cannot guarantee I won't kill you or them."
Laughing loudly, the man wearing the dark red top smugly replied "As if you could kill me, Kusajishi! You are nothing but a half breed, and a weakly one from the looks of it."
Unfazed by the words of the bull demon masquerading as a human, the dog hanyou firmly responded with "I would not underestimate me. It is true, I am but a half demon, but I am also one of the heirs to the Western Lands. I am Iya Taisho, son of the former Western Lord, Inutaisho Taisho, and the half brother of the current Lord of the West, Sesshomaru Taisho. I advise you not to take me lightly."
"So, you're the bastard child of the former Western Lord, eh?" Kusajishi questioned in an amused tone. "Good, once I kill you, that'll prove just how strong I am. Although, it will be a bit of a marred victory, seeing how you're already wounded. But then again, no one has to know some weakling human hurt you first."
Watching a bit of blood leak down from the hanyou's shoulder to the ground, the man wearing the dark red top darkly chuckled, saying "You won't last long in this fight. You're already half dead from your fight with that miko bitch. Once I'm done stomping you into the ground, I'll show her a really good time."
Remaining silent, the dog hanyou slowly lowered his head till his eyes hid beneath the shadows of his bangs. Watching this, the men holding the young miko down still glanced from one another. Carefully, they picked up the miko and dragged her a short distance away, only to press her up against a tree roughly, making her scream out in protest.
One of the men, who was bald with a bad scar down his right cheek, began inching forward towards the miko and reached out to touch her between her legs. Screaming louder and struggling more, the miko attempted to break free, only to be held firmly by the other men.
Seeing this, one of the other men spoke up, saying "You'd better not do that. The boss will kill you if you mess with her first. You know how he is about his women."
"I don't care. He's busy with that half breed." the bald man countered with a sneer.
Looking into the eyes of the miko, the bald man saw fear and anger swirling within her crimson orbs. Reaching out and cupping the miko's cheek, the bald man watched her snap at him with her teeth, only to miss. With a firm hand, he slapped her cheek, making her cringe but not cry out in pain.
"Worthless bitch, I'll teach you to…"
Before the bald man could finish his sentence, he screamed out in pain as blood went spraying about onto the other men and the nude miko. Falling to his knees, the bald man cried out in pain as his right arm fell to the ground, completely unattached from his body.
All of the men, along with Kusajishi, turned to find a blue energy whip retracting to the outstretched hand of the dog hanyou. With his eyes still shadowed by his bangs, the hanyou said in a low, but dangerous tone "If you want to live, I suggest all of you don't touch her and let her go."
"Don't release her." Kusajishi declared, causing his men to remain where they stood. "That half breed may have maimed him, but I'd have done the same. He was about to go against my command. Tie her up and keep her fresh till I'm tone with that half breed. Oh, and don't bother to help him out. He got what he deserved."
The group looked down at their comrade, who was laying on the ground, bleeding heavily and writhing in pain. Looking from one another, the men nodded mutely, seemingly agreeing to obey their leader's words. One of the men handed a rope to the closest one and the tied the miko's hands behind her back and laid her back down onto the ground.
Smirking arrogantly at the fact his men obeyed him, Kusajishi hotly spoke up, saying "You'll pay for maiming that man. Though I'd have done it myself, no one harms them but me. Are you ready to die, half breed?"
"I ask you once more to leave. No harm will befall you or your men if you leave now." Iya coldly spoke up without revealing his eyes still.
Chuckling darkly, the bull demon masquerading as a human replied "You are so foolish to think I'll leave because you asked, half breed. Now die!"
Racing forward with his axe drawn to his right side, the brown haired man watched as the hanyou simply stood in the same place. Without warning, the dog hanyou raised his head, revealing hardened muddy eyes. Unperturbed, the brown haired man swung at the dog hanyou, only to have his target duck his swing.
Slashing out with his right hand, the dog hanyou attempted to strike the demon pretending to be a human. Missing by mere inches, the hanyou quickly spun on his right foot and attempted to slash at the brown haired man again, only to miss once more. Pulling back, the brown haired man turned his axe towards the hanyou's head, only to have the hanyou roll to his right at the last moment.
"You have a few impressive moves. I'll acknowledge that much, half breed." Kusajishi commented with a smirk.
Staring down the brown haired man, Iya calmly replied "Give up this battle. I can't guarantee what I'll do if you don't."
Letting out a snort, the demon masquerading as a human grunted out "You're a fool to think I'll quit a fight in which I have the upper hand."
Remaining quiet for a moment, the dog hanyou reached out and touched his left shoulder for a moment with his right hand. Without warning, icy steam began forming on the tips of his claws. Bit by bit, ice began forming over the hole in the hanyou's left shoulder, seemingly sealing the wound up. Finishing, the dog hanyou reached over and grabbed his left hand and pulled it up to his chest before repeating the same process, effectively freezing his hand to his body.
At last done with his task, Iya drew his sword, sparking it's transformation immediately. "If you won't listen to reason, I have no choice. I hate senseless battles, but if you wish to fight, then so be it. No longer will I hold back."
"We'll see, half breed."
