Hello again everyone! Well, the last few weeks have been so hectic. First, my dad and I finished putting up all the hay over at his house. I am ever so happy to be done with the hay for now. It was just an annoyance due that I'm so busy at work and in my home life, so good times are back once again. Secondly, work has been so hectic as of late. Our project is closing in on it's due date and I've been working my tail off on trying to finish up my stuff for it. I did lighten my load today by dumping two pages, but I still have a good bit of work to do on this stuff. Still, it's worth it, I suppose. Anyways, next week should be fun because my mate and I will be on vacation in North Myrtle Beach, SC. Ah, I can't wait for it. Ever since I was young, I've been there almost every year, and every year it just relaxes me so much, no matter what's going on. I'm looking so forward to just getting there and trying to take it easy, though that's questionable, hehe. My dad, step mom, step brother, and my uncle and his wife and son are going at the same time. Eh, I'll probably be alright since we're in separate places, but we're close enough to walk down to one another. At any rate, next week, I'll be gone and relaxing, and just maybe, I'll get a bit of writing done while I'm gone.
Writing wise, I'm trying to write any time I have some free time, but that's kind of hard to come by anymore, lol. Still, this story is still moving, so that's good. I hope to have this done by the end of September, maybe… I won't guarantee that one, because I'm unsure on it. We'll just have to see.
Moving along, it's time for reviews!
kartonthepegasus: Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you like this story as much as Another. That means a lot. I'll try and keep updating as frequently as I can, but for now, it's stuck at once every two weeks. Thanks for the review and adding this story to your favs!
kattana: Actually, Iya is only 300 years old, not 1000s. He turned 300 near the time that he went into heat in Another. But yes, he's met a lot of good and bad people in his travels over his lifetime, that is for sure. Hmm, good questions about why those three seem to be looking for him. Sounds fishy, don't it? Lol, does to me at least, hehe. Thanks for the review!
The Rainwalker: Nah, I'm not mad at you over the email thing. If I came off as mad, then I'm sorry. I wasn't mad at all. Not even annoyed to be honest, hehe. Heh, I don't mind doing favors, so forget all about it. Yep, Ichigo was Iya's partner for about 20 years and up until the end of Another. Yes, a Quincy of all things, lol. Heh, the rest of Iya's tale is a tear jerker I suppose. I know what you mean about rapists really ticking people off. I hate them with a burning passion. If you can't find a woman/man that will willingly have sex with you, then just suck it up or hire a prostitute if you're that desperate. I wouldn't recommend the later of my options, but whatever floats your boat. But anyways, yes, a violation of any person in that manner is just horribly wrong. No one deserves that kind of pain and torture. Yes, Iya was there to try and help out, but how it'll turn out is still up in the air. Heh, yes, she seems rather stubborn about giving up or letting Iya help. Once more, no, that incident didn't cost you anything. Things like that happen. Thanks for the review!
Well, that's that for this week. Thank you, all three of you, for your reviews. I really appreciate them. I know, I always say that and I'm sure everyone hates hearing that, but it's the truth. If not for reviews, I would have no clue what people feel about the story, so I truly thank all of you for posting your thoughts and comments on my chapters. They are not ignored, but are revered for the aide they give me in my writing. And to any who has yet to review but want to, do feel free. I enjoy any kind of feedback that tells me how decent a job I'm doing, whether it's good or bad. I've only had 1 or 2 flames ever, with the first I talked out, and the other was just an idiot wasting his/her time. At any rate, all I'm saying is let me know what you think. Good or bad, I'll read it.
Until next time, I hope you all like this chapter. Till then, enjoy!
Chapter 3
Staring down the hanyou, the demon masquerading as a human shifted his left foot forward a little. Without warning, he charged forward, axe drawn vertically and ready at his right side. Watching this, the dog hanyou readied himself for the incoming attack. Swinging hard and horizontally, the man in the red top attempted to behead the hanyou, only to have the half demon take to the air. Coming downwards, the dog hanyou swung his halberd in a downwards slash, only to be blocked by the large battleaxe. Flipping backwards, the half demon landed on the ground but barely had a second to react as the man with the axe swung at him again, this time in a downwards strike. Raising his halberd horizontally above his head, the dog hanyou blocked the attack while lightly grunting from the tremendous force behind the axe, making him sink an inch into the ground.
Grinding his axe against the large sword for a few more moments, the man wielding the axe was shocked when he was suddenly sent skidding backwards by the force of the hanyou pushing him away. Coming to a stop, the demon masquerading as a human sneered at his opponent.
"Impressive, half breed. I didn't think you had enough strength to fight me in your weakened state, but I see there is plenty of fight within you yet." Kusajishi commented.
Not receiving an answer, Kusajishi added "This fight has dragged on for long enough. I could continue to toy with you, but I desire to take that woman more than to fight you. After all, just the sight of her flesh is driving me wild and making me hard."
"You disgusting bastard, I'll make sure you never touch her or anyone else ever again." Iya ground out with anger and disgust reflecting in his eyes.
Unfazed by the hanyou's declaration, the man in the red top remarked "It's been a while since I've had to release my true form. I suppose it can't be helped though. Oh well, I'll enjoy killing you in it. You may have had a chance against me in this form, but in my true form, you will fall at my feet in mere moments, begging me for death."
Hearing nothing come out of the hanyou's mouth, Kusajishi smirked, saying "Behold my true form."
Glowing with a dark red aura, the man in the dark red top growled lowly as his body slowly began to grow in height, while his upper body seemed to grow outwards. The red top covering his chest ripped open to reveal dark brown fur. His biceps grew in size as well, with each becoming covered in fur. The pants he wore ripped slightly, leaving only a bit of the clothing that ran from his lower waist to just above his knees while a long tail grew out from behind him that looked whip like with a small tuft of dark brown fur on the end. Both of his legs grew hair also. The man's hair suddenly grew in length, but seemed to grow onto his back also. A pair of horns sprouted from his forehead, each pushed out to the side and ivory in color with sharp points on the ends. The man's face contorted as slowly, it reshaped with his nose pushing out and becoming round, with his jaw reaching out to meet it. His eyes spread apart slightly and became a darker shade of red with black filling his corneas.
At long last seemingly done with his transformation, the bull demon looked up at the dog hanyou and snorted loudly, smirking while doing so. "Impressed by what you see, pup?"
"Hardly." Iya stiffly remarked. "You became uglier. Whether that's an improvement or not, I can't say."
Releasing a loud boisterous laugh, Kusajishi smugly replied "You have been amusing half breed, but the time for fun has come to an end. Prepare to die."
Watching the bull demon charge him, the hanyou readied himself for the oncoming attack. The attack came hard and fast, with the bull demon slamming his axe downwards at the dog hanyou's head. Using his sword to parry, Iya felt the entire weight and strength of the bull demon slamming into Ketsaiga, making the ground beneath him give way and force him down several inches. The force of the blow itself was enough to make his right arm begin shaking as the bull continued to press his full strength onto the blade, making the hanyou's right arm begin sliding back towards his body.
"You will never hold me back, half breed." the bull demon boasted while pushing his advantage.
Breaking out into a sweat, the dog hanyou released a throaty roar as he pushed the attack back and backed away to a safe seven foot gap. Panting lightly while glaring at the bull demon, the hanyou saw the bull charging him quickly, not allowing him to rest for long. Retreating from the horizontal swing of the bull, the dog hanyou couldn't help but see a smirk on the bull's face.
"Extend!"
Confused at the words of the bull demon, the dog hanyou gasped in shock as the axe suddenly began growing longer. Just a few inches beneath the blade of the axe, the handle began releasing the section that appeared to be tied together by a chain. At the same time, with only a few feet from the bottom of the hilt, another section broke free with the same chain holding it together.
Watching the axe blade race past his head, the hanyou quickly realized that the battleaxe had momentum swinging it back towards the bull demon. This in mind, the hanyou quickly raised his sword to beside of his head, just in time to keep the large axe from slamming into his right cheek. Grazing off of the blade, the axe continued forward a bit and managed to barely graze the hanyou's right cheek.
Retreating a bit further this time, the dog hanyou dug his sword into the ground and reached up to feel his cheek where the axe had struck him. Finding a trace of blood, the hanyou frowned and kept his eyes trained on the bull demon, who was triumphantly smirking at him.
"Impressive, yeah?" Kusajishi taunted. "My axe was especially made for long range combat for when the enemy decides to cowardly lay back, thinking they're safe from my reach. Do you see now half breed that you stand no chance?"
Remaining quiet for a moment, Iya slowly spoke up, saying "I will admit, that is an impressive weapon, but it won't make a difference in the end."
"Your overconfidence will be your undoing, half breed." the bull demon snorted while bringing his axe up before himself. "It's time this battle ended with your death, half breed! Here I come!"
Keeping his eyes trained on the charging bull demon, the dog hanyou gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with his right hand. Drawing it from the ground, he brought it back before his body in a ready position. Swinging his axe downwards, the bull demon aimed his weapon at the hanyou's head, only to have the hanyou leap backwards during mid-swing.
Smirking, the bull demon smugly called out "Die half breed! Extend!"
Upon command, the axe suddenly broke into three sections, with the blade extending towards the half demon at rapid speed. At the last second, the dog hanyou side-stepped the blade and raced towards the bull demon at an incredible rate of speed. Shocked, the bull tried to pull his axe back into a single weapon, only to realize it was too late with the dog hanyou only a few feet from himself and his blade raised above his head while white demonic energy seemed to wrap around the blade of his sword.
"This battle ends right now! Wind Slash!"
Swinging his sword downwards, Iya unleashed a powerful blast of white demonic energy that slammed into Kusajishi, making him howl out in pain. The blast continued to assault the bull demon for a few more moments before pushing him backwards and slamming him against a nearby tree, which broke upon impact and sent him backwards into another two trees before coming to rest. Dust and debris filled the air, hiding the results of the battle while the sound of a few trees hitting the ground filled the area.
Slowly, the dust settled, revealing the bull demon had partially smashed through another tree before coming to rest. His body was a bloody mess, with wounds pouring out his crimson life force, but it was already apparent that the bull had met his demise from not only the impact of the trees, but the blast itself.
"Boss…" a few of the men mumbled in complete shock and fear.
Casting his fierce muddy brown eyes onto the group of men still surrounding the wounded miko, Iya growled out "Leave now and never return to these lands."
Many of the men immediately ran for their lives, only to be stopped by the fierce voice of the hanyou, yelling "And take that wounded man with you. I want him gone."
A few men quickly obeyed the hanyou and picked up the man missing his right arm. Carefully, the men lifted their wounded comrade and left the battlefield as quick as possible.
With all the men gone, the hanyou sheathed his sword and quietly padded over to the wounded miko, who stared at him with eyes filling with fear. Keeping his eyes trained on the miko's face, Iya let out a soft sigh and moved behind her. Flexing his right hand, he effortlessly cut the ropes that bound her with a single sweep of his claws. Moving back before her and keeping his eyes glued on her face, he reached up to his left arm with his right hand and gently touched it. The ice surrounding it slowly vanished, freeing it and allowing it to fall to his left side, making him wince from the pain. Reaching up once more, he touched his left shoulder, but hesitated for a moment before removing the ice. Warm blood washed down from the wound immediately, staining his black haori a crimson color.
Ignoring the pain the best he could, the dog hanyou pulled his haori off with one hand, gritting his teeth from the pain when he pulled his left arm out. Fully off his body, he reached it to the miko while avoiding her gaze.
"Here, you can wear this."
Confused, the red haired miko looked at the blood stained haori for a moment before glancing back at the hanyou. Seeing he was refusing to look at her, she looked at the haori once more before softly asking "Why did you come back, you had no obligation to?"
"Please just take it. We can talk once I've taken care of our wounds. That is unless you'd rather keep sitting there naked and bleed to death."
Hesitating for a moment, the miko finally reached out and took the haori from the hanyou's extended hand. Cringing as she stood, she stumbled forward, only to fall against the chest of the dog hanyou.
Looking up into his eyes, she saw no ill will in the muddy brown depths, only what seemed worry and concern. Brow furrowed, she stepped away and turned around. Quickly, she slipped the blood soaked haori on and tied it shut. Dressed once more, she turned to face the hanyou, only to feel her body beginning to sway. Before she could do or say anything, she passed out on her feet and began to fall forward, but not before being caught by the hanyou once more.
Staring down at the unconscious miko, Iya sighed, muttering "Figures you'd pass out on me. I guess I'll just have to carry you."
Carefully, he tossed her over his shoulder and walked over to where the remains of her clothing sat. Looking them over, he sighed once more.
"Looks like your clothes are no more. I guess I can use these rags for some bandages at the least."
Picking them up best he could one handed while trying to hold onto the unconscious miko, the hanyou finally was content with the pile he had and picked it up. Back on his feet, as gently as possible, he began running along in the direction he had come from earlier. Sniffing the air, he picked up the scent of rain, making him curse softly under his breath.
Taking a look up at the sky, he quickened his pace, muttering "I should have known it was going to rain. I'll just have to find a cave quickly and start taking care of those wounds."
Searching the area quickly as possible, the hanyou felt the wind pick up and small droplets of water begin falling onto his head. Spying a small cavern ahead, he picked up his pace, only to be rewarded with a spike of pain flaring up his arm.
Entering into the cave just as the rain began falling harder, the dog hanyou looked around, finding some dry firewood that was left over from someone's previous stay. Looking about the cave, he found a large flat rock up next to the wall and carefully lowered the miko down on to it. Pulling his sword out of his obi, he laid it against the wall before untying his sash and slowly, but painfully, pulling his inner white kimono top off. With it off, he wadded it up so the bloody portion of it was facing downwards and carefully lifted the miko's head up and gently slid the discarded top under her head.
"That should be better than laying on the stone, I suppose." Iya mused aloud.
Glancing at his shoulder wound, the dog hanyou stifled a yelp of pain when he reached up and touched it gently with is right hand. Hearing a light coughing, the hanyou returned his attention to the miko to find she had her eyes weakly cracked open and was looking up at him with her crimson orbs.
Softly smiling, the hanyou padded over to her and fell to one knee and asked "Are you alright?"
Remaining quiet for a few moments, the red haired miko finally whispered "I'm thirsty."
"Just hold on a moment and I'll get you some water."
Standing, the dog hanyou began walking towards the opening of the cave, but came to a stop when he realized something. "I don't have any cups on me. I broke the last one a few days ago… Just great, now what?"
Mauling over a few ideas for a moment, Iya at last gave up and walked out into the rain. Finding a bowl shaped like rock nearby that was full of water already, he picked it up and dumped the water out. It soon filled back up with water from the sky, which he quickly took back inside.
Sensing the hanyou return before herself, the miko cracked her eyes open, only to suppress a gasp of shock. He was kneeling before her, holding a flat bowel like rock full of water, but the surprising part was he was soaked to the bone, his bangs seemingly plastered to his face.
"It's raining outside." Iya informed the miko, whose facial expression told him all he needed to know that she was curious why he was wet. "Can you sit up?"
Attempting to do as asked, the miko couldn't help but whimper when she felt like her right side was on fire where her wound was. Without warning, she felt a strong wet arm shift her into a sitting position, only to have it replaced by a wet, but warm, skin bracing her up. Shifting slightly to see the hanyou had moved behind her and was using his chest as a prop to hold her up, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt in her heart.
"Why are you doing this?"
Brow furrowing at the question from the red haired miko, Iya let out a small sigh, saying "It doesn't matter at the moment. What does matter is I get you some water, and then treat your wounds. Can you drink the water on your own?"
Weakly nodding, the miko reached out and took hold of the stone bowel that was sitting next to her and raised it to her lips. Slowly, she drank down the cool water till she finally had to come up for air. Lightly coughing, she set the bowel back down by her side.
"Is that enough?" the hanyou asked with concern.
Seeing the miko nod her head, the hanyou gently laid her back down onto the stone slap and stood back up. Looking down at her, he let out a light sigh before softly saying "I need to tend to your wounds. Unfortunately, I don't have any thing with me to bind your wounds, other than the remains of your clothing that I can use for bandages. Even though I could do that, your wounds need cleaned out, and there is only one thing that I can do for that since I have no herbs with me."
Noting the look of hesitation on his face, the miko began to speak, only to be cut off when the dog hanyou spoke once more. "When a dog demon is injured or helping an injured person, they can lick their wounds. Their saliva can close up wounds and help with speeding up the healing process. Since I have no herbs, and nor likely to be able to find any in time to help you, I don't have much choice but to clean your wound by licking it."
Silence enveloped the pair for a few moments before Iya quietly said "I know this sounds very personal and possibly wrong, but it's all I know to do to save you. Please, I don't want you to die. If I knew another way, I would."
Not receiving an answer, the hanyou chanced a look into the miko's eyes. The crimson orbs seemed to have a dark swirl to them, as if she was unsure of what to think of his words. Before he could speak again, she slowly spoke up.
"I think I can trust you. You can clean my wounds, but once you're done, you will answer my questions."
Lightly smiling, Iya nodded, saying "I agree to that. Just give me a moment and we'll start."
Earning himself a nod in reply, the hanyou moved away from the red headed miko and picked up the bowel shaped rock. Walking outside, he refilled it full of water and soon returned. Picking up the scraps of clothing he had brought with him, he carefully and agonizingly slowly began cutting them into strips. Setting them down onto the floor next to the miko, he grabbed the water bowel and set it close by too before returning to her side.
Reaching forward with hesitant hands, the dog hanyou slowly began undoing the knot the miko had made to keep the black haori fastened to her body. With it undone, he peeled it open, keeping his eyes focused on her wounds alone. Chancing a glance at the miko's face, he saw that she was looking away, seemingly silently brooding. Returning to the task at hand, he dipped one of the strips he had kept in his hand into the bowel of water. Wringing out the cloth the best he could with one hand, the hanyou softly touched the wound on her stomach.
Getting no reaction, Iya carefully cleaned around the wound before placing the cloth back within the water. Inching forward, he moved till he was finally over top of her wound with his mouth. Carefully, he leaned forward and placed his tongue within the wound, earning him a shiver from the miko on contact. Slowly and carefully, the dog hanyou licked around the outside of the wound, attempting to keep his mind focused on his task.
After nearly five minutes, the hanyou pulled back and reached for a nearby rag. Looking the miko in the face, he softly said "I need to sit you back up so I can bandage the wounds."
The miko snapped out her thoughts instantly and meekly nodded her head. With the hanyou's help, she moved into a sitting position, but not without grimacing from the pain of her wounds. Moving behind her to help support and hold her up, the hanyou quickly began to bandage the wounds while being mindful of where his hands were. Finishing, he carefully laid the miko back onto the stone.
Examining the next wound he had to take care of, the hanyou couldn't help but frown while blush at the same time. The wound was on her right arm and was rather deep.
"To reach her, I'm going to have to be closer to her chest than I want to be. Kami, please let her understand and not beat the hell out of me for thinking I'm trying to get fresh."
Seeing the hanyou was hesitant to move, the miko couldn't help but notice the blush on his cheeks. Confused, the miko narrowed her eyes, asking "Is there a problem?"
"Well…" Iya slowly stammered out. "It's just that, your second wound, it's on your right side."
"And what of it?"
Feeling his cheeks begin to burn, the hanyou looked away, muttering "To reach your wounds, I have to be over top of your chest…"
Realization hit the red headed woman instantly, but she pushed away the thoughts that she knew the hanyou must be having. Steeling herself and forcing her mind to push away the thoughts she knew her companion must be having, she replied as calmly as possible "Just take care of my wound and forget about it."
A bit shocked, but reassured by the miko's answer, the dog hanyou mutely nodded and carefully moved forward, making sure that his upper body did not touch the miko's. Carefully, with the wet rag he held, he cleaned around the wound before moving forward and licking the wound like he had with the previous one. Satisfied after a few minutes that it was sealed shut, he pulled away and placed the rag back into the bowel of water.
Grabbing a few strips of cloth to bind the miko's wounds, Iya gently set the miko up into a sitting position and moved behind her like before. Carefully and quietly, he began bandaging the wounds till finally he was done. Gently, he laid the red haired miko back down onto the stone slab.
"You should tend to your own wounds before they get worse."
Realizing he had yet to take care of them, Iya nodded and grabbed the nearby rag and bowel of water. After ten minutes, he had finished patching up his wounds.
Noticing the miko shiver slightly, the hanyou quickly picked up some small kindling that someone had left behind and began a fire. It soon roared to life, bringing warmth into the small cave while the smoke poured out of it's entrance.
Sitting down and leaning up against the rock wall near the miko, the dog hanyou yawned and slowly slid his eyes shut. Before he could even think of sleeping, the miko spoke up.
"You said you would answer my questions."
Opening his muddy brown eyes once more, Iya softly replied "You're right, I did. Go ahead and ask whatever you want."
Remaining quiet for a moment while staring at the ceiling of the cave, the red haired woman quietly asked "Why are you doing this? You had no obligation to let me live in our fight, not after I had wounded you from behind like that. And by the same account, you had no reason to come back and aide me against those brutes and that bull demon. So please, tell me why."
Staring at the fire in the middle of the cave, the hanyou watched the flames dance about. After a few moments, he finally replied "Because I made a promise long ago…"
Knowing she was confused by his words, the hanyou added "You see, when I was only fifteen years old, I did something terrible to my best friend. My demon nature took from her what I can never replace."
"Not long after that, I received that sword." Iya stated while pointing at the sword propped up next to him. "When I received Ketsaiga, I made a vow upon it. I promised to protect all those that were precious to me, and to protect any who could not protect themselves. I would not be afraid of death if it meant that those that I protected would live on. I still hold true to that promise and will never break it."
"You had no reason to not kill me…" the miko flatly commented. "I wasn't in need of protection at that time. All I wanted was to kill you, so you had every right to kill me. So why didn't you kill me?"
Sadly smiling, the hanyou quietly remarked "I don't kill humans if I can help it. I've only killed a few in my lifetime, and those were bandits who I had caught a few times in the act and who had tried to kill other people. Besides that, my father taught me at an early age not to kill humans. After all, I'm part human, and so was my mother."
Mulling over the words of the dog hanyou for a silent minute, the miko let out a small sigh while fighting to hold back tears brimming in her eyes. "I didn't always hate demons. When I was a little girl, I kind of envied them. They seemed so close to gods to me when I was a child, and I had wished more than anything to be like them."
"Then a pack of them attacked my village when I was a little girl." the red haired miko whispered. "My parents, they had hid me in a small shed surrounded by incense, hoping that it would hide my scent from the demons. They tried to reason with the demons once I was hid, even going so far as to offer themselves as a prize for the demons to take away and leave the village. Instead, they killed my father and raped my mother, but not before killing her in the end."
Closing her eyes and letting a few tears stray down the sides of her face, the miko softly whimpered out "I can still hear their screams clearly to this day. All I could do was listen to them in agony. Eventually, the demons left and I came out to find the remains of my family and village. I was devastated to find no one was left alive."
"I swore to myself that day, I would kill every demon I came across after that." the miko icily stated. "I swore that I would never let another child go through that."
Taking a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes, the miko stonily added "Within a day of my vow, a priest came through and found me. He raised and trained me to become a miko. Once I had reached an age in which I could leave his protection, I set out and began killing any and all demons. Ever since, I have hunted demons, killing any I came across. Eventually, I found hanyous, but they received no mercy from me either."
"But then I met you…"
"And now you're completely confused by my actions." Iya finished.
"Yes… How can you willingly risk yourself to protect someone who tried to kill you?"
Sitting in silence for only a few moments, the hanyou calmly replied "I do it because I remember that promise I told you of. I remember the pain I felt when I realized the wrongs that I committed against my friend, and how I wanted to correct my mistake. I also remember that I never want anyone to go through that same pain that I felt over my mistake."
Pondering on the words of the hanyou for a long moment, the miko quietly said "Thank you, for saving me."
"Don't worry about it. You wouldn't have needed saved if I hadn't of disarmed you."
Softly smiling, the miko replied "But I attacked you first. When those men attacked me after you left, I thought that was it, I was going to die. Then you showed back up, not even caring that you were already wounded. You risked your life for me, and that is something I would have never done. Still, you did it, without a second thought of how badly injured you were."
Still staring at the fire, the hanyou glanced over at the miko and saw she was looking at him with her crimson orbs that now seemed to hold warmth in them and a small smile on her face. Smiling back, Iya asked "If it's not too much trouble, would you share with me your name?"
"My name is Nariko."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"For the next six days, we spent that time together, healing and recovering from our wounds, while getting to know one another and becoming good friends. Her wounds had healed over by then and she was able to move about with no pain. As for my own wounds, they had healed within four days, which was slower than normal, but I had expected it since Nariko had used her miko energy when she had attacked me. It helped though that she used her miko powers after two days to help our wounds recover a bit faster."
Remaining quiet for a few moments, Uryū quietly remarked "I see. So, she overcame her hatred for demons and became your friend?"
Nodding, Iya lightly smiled, saying "Nariko and I became fast friends once she understood me and I understood her. Once we had healed up, I let her borrow both my kimono tops so she could venture into a nearby village. I gave her what money I had carried on me, allowing her to go in and buy some new clothing, along with a new bow, a quiver of arrows, and a place an order for a new sword. She was rather grateful for it and offered to repay me, but I turned her down, seeing how I had been the one to destroy her weapons in the first place."
"I hung around with her for another day till finally I knew it was time to leave. Before leaving one another's company, she told me that from then on, she would not be quick to judge a demon, but would attempt to listen to one's words. She planned on staying and protecting the village where the hanyou had killed some of the livestock."
Glancing up at the sky, he added "I promised her that I'd come back and see her whenever I could, and we each made a promise to never forget one another. We then went our separate ways, with me continuing to trail The Thirteen and her protecting that village."
Silence enveloped the pair for a minute before the young Quincy spoke up, asking "What became of her?"
"Well, for two years, she protected the village. I came back to see her when I could, which was maybe a few times a year, four at most. On my next to last visit to see her, during the winter, she told me she was engaged to be married to a man within the village."
Sadly smiling, the young man with brown eyes quietly said "I was so happy for her when I found out. Before leaving, I wished her the best of luck."
"I returned on my last visit to see her during the middle of the summer. She was already married and still protecting the village. If only I had known what would befall her, I'd have never returned…"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walking towards the village on the horizon, the dog hanyou couldn't help but smile when he picked up the scent of jasmine and fresh cut lilies, but of something else mixed in with the familiar scent. Frowning, he took a second whiff and determined there was something definitely mixed in with her scent.
"It smells slightly like her mate, but not quite. It's like her scent and his mixed together, but that don't make much sense… Unless…"
Picking up his pace into a light jog, the dog hanyou neared the location of a small hut on the outskirts of the village. Arriving at last, he scanned the area before finding that there was only one person in the area around the hut. Walking to the back of the hut, he found a familiar red haired former miko, wearing a simple dark purple kimono, working in a small garden. Hearing his footsteps approaching, she finished with the work she was doing and stood up before turning to face him and slightly bowing.
"Iya."
Returning her bow, the hanyou quietly replied "Nariko."
Finishing with their formalities, the pair smiled, with the miko rushing forward and the pair embracing in a hug. Pulling apart, the pair moved to the porch of the hut and sat down close to one another.
"How have you been?"
Revealing a brilliant smile, the former miko replied "I've been good. My husband and I have been working hard to find a way to protect the village since I lost my miko powers, but we have a few ideas that I think will work. How about yourself?"
"I've been better. I lost the trail of The Thirteen once again, so I'm back to looking for information on them. I hate playing this game of cat and mouse, but I have no choice until they decide to stand their ground and fight with me."
"I see." Nariko murmured. Smiling slightly, she added "I wish you the best of luck on finding them."
Returning her smile with a warm one of his own, Iya softly asked "Tell me, how are you and your husband getting along?"
"Rather well. At times, he surprises me completely by how wonderful he is. I feel like I've been in a dream since we've gotten married."
Smiling once more, the hanyou asked "Have the two of you thought about children?"
Nodding, the former miko replied "We've talked about it, but we also decided that we'll need to wait to have them until we can find a permanent solution to protecting the village. Once we've found a way, we'll probably settle down more and have a few children. Why do you ask?"
Rubbing the back of his head, Iya inwardly groaned at the awkward feelings that were rising up within him. Steeling his nerves, he inhaled the air around the pair, reassuring him that his earlier first thoughts that the miko's scent had changed were correct.
"What's wrong?" Nariko asked, confused and worried by the storm of emotions that seemed to emanate from the dog hanyou.
Waking from his brooding, the hanyou quietly replied "Well, it's just that, your scent has changed."
"My scent has changed? Are you sure you're not just smelling my husband on me, because we are around one another quite often."
Shaking his head softly, the dog hanyou remarked "I can smell your husband's scent on you, yes, but that's not what I'm talking about. I can smell both his and your scents mixed together, but it's not your scent I'm picking up. It's another's."
Glancing over to see confusion in the eyes of the miko, the hanyou bluntly said "You're pregnant. I smell the baby's scent."
"Oh…" the former miko murmured. Remaining quiet for a moment, her eyes widened and she exclaimed "Wait, what!?"
Pinning his ears back to drown out the sudden outburst, Iya softly replied "You're with child, Nariko. That's why your scent is different."
Frowning, she silently asked "Are you sure?"
"I'm pretty sure. When my father took his last mate, I noticed the same thing with her. Without warning, her scent shifted, with the scent of her and my father seemingly mixing together, but not on the outside of her body, but within. My father explained to me that that was the scent of when a woman was pregnant."
Processing the words of the dog hanyou for a long few moments, the former miko suddenly felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Reaching up, she felt them but couldn't help but smile. "I'm going to be a mother…"
Nodding slightly, Iya warmly replied "Yes, you are. I'm sure that you'll be a terrific mother."
"Thank you, Iya." Nariko commented while reaching out and squeezing his hand.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keeping a stony face, the young Quincy reached up and pushed his glasses back up his nose, saying "That was kind of you to let her know she was pregnant."
"I suppose, but what came of it is the problem…" Iya weakly commented.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quietly walking down the dirt road with nothing but the blue sky above his head, the dog hanyou couldn't help but smile. He had just left the village where the former miko lived and still felt the joy and happiness the young woman had shown him upon her finding out she was pregnant with her first child.
"She'll make a wonderful mother." Iya commented within his mind while still smiling. "I don't think I've ever seen her that happy before. I just hope her husband takes the news well also."
Feeling the wind picking up and hitting his back, the hanyou lifted his nose and inhaled the scents within it, only to come to an abrupt stop. Spinning around with his eyes wide and a silent gasp falling, he sniffed the air once more, only to confirm his first whiff. Breaking into a breakneck pace, he ran back towards the village that was only a few miles behind himself.
"What could have happened!? I didn't detect any demons when I left! Could a few have snuck in when I wasn't noticing? No, I'd have picked up their scents and auras immediately. Then why… why can I smell Nariko's blood in the air!?"
Not sparing any speed, the hanyou soon was able to see the outskirts of the village, with what looked like a few men on the outside of the hut standing around. Paying no heed, he pushed onwards and finally reached his destination.
Following his nose, he leapt over the men and hit the ground, only to find the red haired woman laying on the ground before her hut. She had a sword sticking out of her back, right about where her heart would be. Blood was pouring from her mouth and pooling under her figure, staining her kimono with her crimson life force.
Ignoring the man that hovered directly behind her, the hanyou dropped to his knees before the former miko and reached out to her neck. Finding a small pulse, the dog hanyou began to say something, only to hear the miko talking in a raspy voice.
"I'm… not… going to… make it. I'm so… sorry… Iya…"
"Shh, don't talk Nariko." Iya firmly replied. "Just lay still, I'll fix you up."
Not receiving a response, the hanyou reached for the sword that was plunged in her back and grabbed the hilt gently. Grasping the hilt tightly, he quickly jerked it out, only to allow a spray of blood to pour out of the wound that was left. Casting it aside, he carefully rolled her over onto her back and saw that the sword had pierced completely through her chest and into the ground.
Weakly looking up at the hanyou, the former miko reached for his hand that was covered in her blood already. Sadly smiling at him, she whispered "I… was… happy. Thank you…"
Hearing her words, the hanyou watched as her breathing became very shallow, till she finally took her last breath. Staring at the still figure, the dog hanyou couldn't help but allow his emotions to begin spilling out in a soft, silent sob.
"That bitch deserved far worse after what you did with her, half breed."
Hearing the voice, the dog hanyou looked up to see it was the voice of the man that was behind the former miko's body. The man had jet black hair that fell to his neck in length, but had it bound in a tight ponytail, dark coal eyes, and tanned skin. His clothing consisted of a simple gray kimono top that had the sleeves cut off and black pants.
Returning his gaze back down to the red haired woman, the hanyou could not but feel his world crashing down around him. In a strangled voice, he ground out "She was pregnant with your child."
"More than likely spawn of yours, half breed. You slept with her and impregnated her with your filthy blood."
Rising slowly, but hiding his eyes beneath the shadows of his bangs, Iya quietly, but coldly ground out "She loved you with all of her heart. I never did such thing to her. She was my friend, nothing more."
"That's right, deny it, half breed. That bitch got what she deserv…"
Before the man could finish his sentence, the dog hanyou had reached out and grabbed him by the neck and picked him up. With his anger flaring, the hanyou slammed the man against the side of the hut, rocking it nearly off of it's foundation.
Struggling to catch his breath and break the hold of the hand over his neck, the man looked up into the hanyou's face with wide eyes, seeing the hanyou was now revealing his eyes. No longer were they their usual muddy brown color that held gentleness, but now were a blue-green color with red corneas filling in for white. The fangs in the hanyou's mouth had lengthened to the point they were poking out of his mouth while his claws began to dig into the hut as they lengthened as well. Seeing the eyes of the hanyou, the man couldn't help but desperately try and break the hold, but failed to have the strength.
Seeing that their comrade was in trouble, the few men that had been standing in front of the hut rushed over. Their mission seemed to be pulling the hanyou off of their comrade, but they never made it to their objective. Without hesitation, the hanyou unleashed his light blue energy whip with his left hand and easily cut down all of them, killing each on impact.
Tightening his grip on the man's neck that he held up against the hut, Iya growled out "She loved you completely and was so happy to be having your child. And how did you repay that love!? By murdering her! She loved you damn it!"
Noticing the man's face was turning to a shade of blue, the hanyou yelled "A bastard like you has no right to take away a life!"
Without a second thought, the dog hanyou snapped the man's neck before pulling him back and throwing his body completely through the hut. Panting lightly, the hanyou glared at the spot where the man landed through the hole in the hut.
"I'm not done." Iya growled out while stalking towards the man.
Halfway to the man on the ground, the sword on the hanyou's hip pulsated, making him stop and reach up to hold his head in his left hand. Groaning into his hand, the hanyou felt his fangs and claws retract to their normal lengths. Pulling his hand away, he glanced up at the man not far from him. Turning to see the remains of the other men he had slain, the hanyou looked back to the prone figure of the red haired miko. Walking over to her, he fell to his knees next to her and let out a small whimper.
"I'm so sorry… It's not what you would have wanted. I lost control and let my emotions and my demonic side get the better of me. Nariko, please forgive me."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Silence enveloped the pair for a few minutes, with the Quincy staring at the face of the young man before him. Looking at him, the Quincy saw the pain and regret etched into the young man's face.
"You regret it, don't you?"
Fiercely looking up, Iya snarled "OF COURSE I DO!"
Looking back down at the ground, the young man muttered "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. What I did back then… I'm ashamed of that day. It will forever stay with me."
"Still, I move forward from it. Ever since, I have not taken a human life, nor do I intend to if I can help it. All I can do is try and learn from my mistake. Ever since, I try not to let my emotions get the better of me. It's hard, but it does work, sometimes."
Processing the words of the young man for a moment, Uryū asked "Is that why you told me you don't want to fight?"
"Killing and fighting are not things I relish in. If I must fight, or I must kill, I will, but I refuse to fight a needless battle or kill without reason. That is why I would prefer not to fight with you. I have no real reason to fight you, so long as you do not harm my mate or her family."
Understanding the young man's words, the Quincy glanced up at the sky and softly sighed before saying "I see. I guess that means I'll have to take you at your word."
"I suppose so." Iya smartly commented. "Come on, let's get some more shut eye. I normally don't stay up all night during my human nights."
"I take it you're not afraid of remaining human like most hanyous who stay awake during their periods of weakness?"
Smirking while walking towards the door of the hut, Iya glanced over his shoulder and smugly replied "No, I just don't like losing sleep."