Hey there everyone! So, not a whole lot new with me. The weather has been a touch irritating, but then again, it's winter. We've had snow storm after snow storm come through and dump a bit of snow each time, but nothing too serious yet. I think the most we've picked up so far was 5-6 inches at one time. All in all, it's not been too bad, but still troublesome at times. Ah yes, I've taken up watching an anime called Shakugan no Shana recently, which has been terrific so far. I've watched the first season and am about 9 episodes deep into the second season. Plus I've seen all but one episode of the OVA, though it wasn't that impressive, but a little comical I suppose. I'd suggest it to anyone looking for a good anime. Heh, you may even see a character from it in my story if you look close.

Writing wise, things are progressing slowly. I'm really psyched about the upcoming chapters that I have to write. Things are going to become exciting, so don't think this thing is over quite yet.

Thanks to Kattana for reviewing last chapter, and to my mate who is reading also. Heh, she's at last catching up with this series. Way to go, mate, lol.

Btw, to anyone who has thoughts/feedback/comments on this story, I encourage you to post them in a review or PM. It's the only way I can determine how things are going. No feedback leaves me pondering if I'm doing a good job or not, or if no one cares to tell me. I like to know good or bad what everyone is thinking.

Also, one minor warning, the next chapter will change this story's rating from T to M. I'm assuming everyone can figure out what may happen, but just to warn you all, I will be changing the rating next chapter.

At any rate, I hope everyone likes this chapter. Can't wait to hear from you all. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Gritting his teeth and lowly growling, Inuyasha watched the battle continue to rage on between his brothers. His hands were tightly gripping the fabric of his pants while his eyes darted back and forth to keep up with the high speed motions of the fight.

"What ails you pup?"

Sparing a glance to his right to find the elder sword smith was sitting next to him, the hanyou muttered "Nothing."

Heavily sighing, Totosai retorted "You always are the most difficult one to talk with. Iya simply tells me what has happened, Sesshomaru gives you the short version, and you, you're like pulling teeth out to get you to talk about anything. Now then, am I going to have to get my vice grips or will you talk?"

Looking at the old demon with a strange look on his face, the hanyou returned his vision back to the fight at hand and whispered "I'll never be able to fight at the level that those two are. "

"Is that what is bugging you?" the older demon asked with a surprised look on his face. "My, my Inuyasha, you certainly surprise me to say the least."

Throwing a glare at the old man, the hanyou ground out "It's the truth. Both Iya and Sesshomaru are by far better swordsmen than me. Hell, I've been pondering while watching this fight if Sesshomaru never took me as a serious threat in all of our previous fights. I mean, I went all out in my battles with him, yet never was able to defeat him."

"That is more due to the fact that your father gave you each swords that would not kill one another, thus throwing you into a stalemate. The same is to be said about Iya's Ketsaiga. It would be unlikely that any of you three could kill one another." Totosai explained.

Pausing for a moment, he added "Besides that, you are gifted enough to compensate for not having years of training."

Frowning at the words of the swords smith, Inuyasha quickly asked "What do you mean by that?"

"Inuyasha, both Iya and Sesshomaru were trained to handle a sword while at very young ages each. Sesshomaru has the most battle experience, thus allowing him to become the strongest of the three of you in skill with a blade. However, Iya is not far from being at the same level as your older brother, seeing how he fought The Thirteen all of those years. He trained himself to become better with a sword, not to mention he found a way to train his body into becoming fast enough to compete with those members of The Thirteen. Speed and power were two things he had to acquire to beat them, thus I don't doubt he trained every opportunity he had."

Pointing a finger at the hanyou, the sword smith said "With you, things were different. You did not have the luxury of being raised and trained in the way of the sword. In fact, I would be willing to bet you never used a sword until you received the Tetsusaiga, correct?"

Receiving a nod after a moment, the elder demon continued on. "That means you have only wielded a sword for fourteen years nearly. Even after receiving it, you learned quickly and managed to prove yourself capable of defending yourself and others with it. To reach the level you have already without any formal training is an accomplishment. Just because those two are able to move at those speeds and use their blades in that way does not mean you are nothing compared to them."

"Besides that, you have accomplished much in your fourteen years of wielding Tetsusaiga, including the fact that you have mastered many high level techniques. And you have inherited the same thing your brothers have from your father: the will to never give up and to protect that which is important to you."

Mulling over the words the older demon had spoken to him, Inuyasha grunted out "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. Now then, don't worry about their skill levels."

"Those two are in a whole league of their own, dog breath." Kouga spoke up as he approached the pair with his arms folded over his chest. "Even I have trouble keeping up with the speed they have, which pains me to say. If I had my Sacred Jewel Shards still, I might stand a chance, but as things are, I'd be lucky to keep up."

Sneering at the wolf demon, Inuyasha remarked "You're not even in my league, flea bag, let alone Iya or Sesshomaru's."

Gritting his teeth and lowly growling, the wolf demon heatedly fired back "What was that!"

"Gee, don't tell me you have bad hearing too. Shame really." Inuyasha mockingly commented.

About to fly off the handle with another comment, Kouga suddenly smirked, saying "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is."

"What are you getting at?" the hanyou questioned.

Smirking still, the wolf demon remarked "Why not have a little friendly bet on the winner of this match between your brothers. I'm picking Sesshomaru for obvious reasons, seeing how he's a sure win."

"Oh yeah, well I bet Iya will win!"

"How about we bet thirty-five pieces of silver on this wager?"

Noticing the hanyou was a bit nervous at the amount he had declared, Kouga added in a goading tone "If you're scared to do it, then chicken out."

"The hell I'm scared of anything! You have a deal!" Inuyasha declared hastily.

"Cut us in on the action boys." Totosai piped up. "I'm making a wager that those two end in a draw."

"I'll take a piece of that action." Myoga said, adding his opinion in.

Smirking at the pair of elder demons, Kouga remarked "Fine then, we'll cut you two in. I just know for certain Iya will lose to Sesshomaru. No one has beat him in a duel, other than the former Lord of the West."

"Well, he's overdue for someone to knock him off his pedestal!" the hanyou harshly fired back.

Sweat dropping, both the elder demons shook their heads and returned to watching the fierce battle that continued to ensue between the two brothers within the barrier.

000

000

Starting to sweat a bit and feel his breathing beginning to become shallower, Iya suddenly ducked his head to evade a sweeping sword slash from his brother. Spinning around and slashing out at his elder brother, he let an annoyed growl escape his lips when his blade was simply parried.

Leaping away so that he had some room to work with, the hanyou instantly bounded forward and struck out at the shoulder of the dog demon. His blade was effortlessly pushed aside by the blade of his brother, but that didn't keep him from drawing back his sword to once again and attempt to push through his opponent's defenses.

Launching a series of high speed slashes and stabs that caused a spray of sparks from the contact from each blow, the hanyou could only watch as his brother continued to parry each of his thrusts and strikes. Eyes widening when the dog demon vanished, he quickly reached out with his senses to find that his elder brother had moved high into the air and was hovering overhead. Not having an instant to spare, he managed to raise his sword up to block the incoming downwards strike that was launched from his brother. The ground beneath him crumbled from the force of the impact, but he stood his ground.

"He's so damn strong and fast. At this rate, I'll never be able to get through his defenses. I need a new plan."

Shoving his brother's blade off of his own and retreating a short distance, the hanyou panted lightly as sweat slid down the sides of his face. Looking at his brother closely, he noted the same could be said for him.

Noting a smirk forming on his brother's face, the dog demon watched as the hanyou leapt high into the air before unexpectedly throwing Ketsaiga straight at him. Using his blade to block the sword, he gasped in shock when suddenly the blade came flying back at his body. Quick to react to the attack due to years of experience, he just managed to knock the attack away and retreated several feet away. Looking up, he saw the reason the large halberd had suddenly returned to attack him. Attached to the pommel of the sword was the light blue energy whip of the hanyou that extended all the way back to his body.

"Interesting."

Hearing his brother's remark, Iya yanked on his whip and brought his sword back to him. Not releasing the whip, he let go of the hilt of his sword and grabbed hold of the whip. Bringing the whip above his head, he began swinging the blade around in a circular manner as he examined his brother's defenses momentarily. Vanishing, he reappeared quickly directly in front of his brother and flung the sword at his brother. Narrowly missing the dog demon's head, he pressed the attack and drew back his blade only to throw it again. Again and again, he flung it straight at his brother, who could only dodge or block it.

Suddenly finding his brother in front of him with his blade poised to strike, the hanyou leapt away but not before tugging on his whip. Eyes widening, the dog demon heard the sword attached to the whip approaching spinning rapidly towards him. At the last moment, he managed to duck it, earning a light growl from the hanyou.

Pressing the attack, Iya continued to fling his blade out at his brother. Each strike was either blocked or dodged at the last moment. Not letting up, the hanyou continued to keep his brother off balance as he changed the way he threw the blade so not to settle into a familiar attack pattern that would become readable.

Throwing the sword and jerking on the whip that held it so that it started cutting horizontally instead when he returned the blade, the hanyou watched as his brother's top received a minor cut in it's sleeve. "Damn, nearly had him that time. It looks like he's having a hard time at determining how I'll use Ketsaiga attached to my whip. At least this proves he can't predict my moves too well so far, which is good. I'll just have to keep using that to my advantage."

"Not bad, little brother. You've created a very unique style that is nearly unpredictable. By attaching your whip to your sword, you can fling it at this Sesshomaru, yet return it in a different pattern as well. Very innovative and admirable for you to do."

Pausing momentarily as he closed his golden orbs, only to open them back up and reveal a hardness in them, Sesshomaru added "However, it has a weakness."

"Is that so?" Iya questioned as he began swinging the sword at his side by using the energy whip to do so.

Vanishing in a flash and reappearing several feet behind his brother with his sword held out to his left side, the dog demon remarked "Indeed. You require that whip to remain attached to your sword in order to continue attacking with it as is."

Without warning, the energy whip attached to the hilt of the hanyou's blade dissipated, causing the spinning blade to flip up high into the air. Releasing a small sigh, the hanyou disappeared in a blur, only to reappear high in the air retrieving his sword. Flashing away again, he soon materialized on the ground.

"I know the weakness of using my sword that way better than you think. Every style of combat has at least one weakness. That is certain. Even though I was using a new fighting style, you deciphered it's weakness quickly and efficiently. Exactly what I'd expect from the Lord of the Western Lands, but more importantly, my elder brother." Iya commented.

Turning around to face his brother once again, the dog demon took up a ready stance with his blade held out before him. His demonic aura suddenly flared to life around him, sending his hair and clothing floating about around his body.

At the same time, the dog hanyou did the same and showed no signs of backing down. His bound hair attempted to break free of it's binding, but was unsuccessful. Clutching his sword's hilt even tighter, he felt a low rumbling growl forcing it's way out of his throat.

Charging one another at full pace, the pair's blades soon met with a sound of steel clashing ringing throughout the area. The pair separated quickly with their backs to one another and remained still as their clothing continued to rustle. Without warning, a spray of blood and a cut erupted from the hanyou's right shoulder. At the same time, a similar cut appeared on the dog demon's left shoulder.

Turning to face one another, each of the two fighters looked one another over before each suddenly allowed small smiles to appear on their faces.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you big brother?"

Impassively, the dog demon remarked "This Sesshomaru has not had many opponents who have the skills you possess. Such a rare opportunity should not be wasted."

Lightly chuckling, Iya retorted "I suppose so. Let's see how you do with this."

Throwing his blade into the air, the hanyou launched his energy whip at it and expertly wrapped it around the hilt. Grapping a portion of the whip, he started spinning the whip, sending the sword whizzing around in a circular pattern.

"Did you learn nothing from our last encounter, little brother? That attack will not work on this Sesshomaru."

Still spinning his sword rapidly, the dog hanyou quipped "We'll see."

Watching the hanyou unexpectedly leap into the air and fling the halberd at him, the dog demon brought his sword up and expertly deflected the attack upwards. His eyes immediately widened when the hanyou appeared directly in front of him several feet in the air and was drawing his sword back with use of the whip.

Knowing he still had the element of surprise, Iya slammed Ketsaiga into his brother's Bakusaiga with all his might. The two blades shot a shower of sparks out from the impact, along with a chilling ringing of steel. At the same time, the impact of the two blades meeting forced the ground beneath the dog demon to break asunder from the sheer forceful impact.

Not letting up, the hanyou quickly drew back his blade and launched into a series of successive slashes and stabs. None of them made it through his opponent's defenses, but it kept him from launching any counter attacks at the same time.

Forced backwards by the constant barrage of attacks form his brother, the dog demon finally stood his ground and pushed his brother away. Confused when his brother charged forward again, the demon lord found himself to remain on the defensive. The movements of his attacker were well planned out and meant to leave him without any way of countering.

Several minutes passed before the two suddenly split apart, both heavily panting. Amber met muddy brown momentarily before the two charged one another. Smashing their swords against each others, the pair suddenly flashed away. In the air, a clash was heard and a spray of sparks evident of the transaction, but the two was not seen. Again and again, the same process repeated throughout the barrier, leaving the onlookers to only watch and wait.

000

000

Eyes darting back and forth, Totosai let out a low chuckle, saying "My, my, those two sure aren't holding back. I can't remember the last time I've seen them go so fast."

"It has been some time since they last sparred full on." Myoga commented, all the while his eyes kept up with the high speed movements of the pair within the barrier.

Cracking a small smile, the old sword smith remarked "To think that they would be so evenly matched is a bit surprising."

"What's so surprising about that?" Inuyasha butted in. "Iya is tough you know."

"It's not about him being tough, Inuyasha." the elder demon replied in an exhausted tone. "You know that those two have quite a few years of age difference separating them?"

"Of course I know that much!"

"Don't get snippy with me, pup." Totosai snapped. Scratching his chin momentarily, he continued on, saying "Iya was trained much like Sesshomaru was. He first was taught how to fight hand to hand by the old dog general himself when that pup was very young. Once he had progressed, he was made to spar with Sesshomaru. Naturally, with the fact that Sesshomaru was older and stronger, Iya lost almost all their bouts."

Chuckling, he added "He won a few, but very few. As Iya got older, he gained ground on his older brother. Eventually, the pair were able to go toe to toe with one another, much like how they are doing so now."

"Not long after Iya received Ketsaiga, he began having sparring sessions with Sesshomaru to learn better control of his sword. It was mostly one sided again, with the elder brother proving he had something Iya did not."

"What did he have?" Inuyasha questioned as he threw a glance at the older demon.

Letting a small smile cross his face, the sword smith answered "Battle experience. That was the deciding factor in their fights. Sesshomaru had seen combat by that point and time, so Iya was unable to read his brother's movements as fluently as he does now. On the other hand, Iya had had no combat experience outside of sparring with the great dog demon and his brother. He was hopelessly outmatched in every way imaginable."

"The years slowly passed and Iya progressed, but he still could not decipher all of Sesshomaru's movements. He was sent into battle and learned a great deal from it. As well, he managed to increase his own speed and strength over time. However, Iya had three things going against him to ever be on equal footing with Sesshomaru."

Frowning, Kouga spoke up, asking "What three things?"

Bouncing up and down for a moment before settling, Myoga said "He lacked three very important things. The first of which was his age. Due that he was very young, Master Iya was inexperienced in battle and did not know how to anticipate his opponent's attacks. He would remain calm and study his opponent, but he could not end a battle decisively very easily on his own."

"The second thing that pup lacked was battle experience, which goes hand in hand with age in all actuality." Totosai explained. "Due to his young age and lack of experience, Sesshomaru often found it easy to take advantage of Iya in their sparring sessions."

Folding his four arms over his chest, the flea added "Lastly, he lacked one thing that was somewhat crucial when facing a demon. He was a hanyou, thus lacked the speed and power of a full demon. Obviously, those things are necessary to keep up with Lord Sesshomaru."

Contemplating the words of the elder demons, Inuyasha slowly said, if not questioned "But he overcame those things he lacked."

"He did indeed, but after much training." the sword smith assured. "Iya fought evenly with Sesshomaru before leaving to take on The Thirteen. Even though they didn't get along, they did spar on occasion."

"You see, it's no surprise after all these years, those two are still on par with one another. In his travels, Iya managed to attain battle experience, not to mention ways to increase his speed and power. Against foes like The Thirteen, he had no choice. It is because of that mission that he put himself through such harsh training regiments and was able to defeat them in due time."

Sitting back down on the sword smith's shoulder, the flea added in "At the same time, Lord Sesshomaru has been forced to defend the Western Lands, along with fight many battles. He pushed himself hard as well, but at the same time, he did not advance nearly as far as Iya appears to have."

Looking back at the battle, the four noticed the pair of brothers no longer were unseen, but were on the ground, panting heavily. Smiling gently, Totosai quietly said "The end is near."

000

000

Heavily panting while sweat poured down the sides of his face and coated his forehead, Iya eyed his brother's minor wounds, making him inwardly groan. "I'm inflicting some damage to him, but he's still nowhere near going down. Nothing I've tried yet has breached his defenses, and what little that has he quickly compensated for. I know I can beat him, but the longer this fight drags out, the less likely I can. He has far more reserves than me."

Eyes going wide suddenly when his brother vanished into thin air, the hanyou quickly spun around and parried a slash intended to lop off his head. A shower of sparks rained down from the two swords meeting, as well as the sound of steel ringing out.

Breaking off his attack, Sesshomaru ran his eyes over his brother's slightly wounded form. Not finding any weaknesses in his brother's defenses, the dog demon couldn't help but feel a small bit of pride well up within himself.

"He has come a long way since our training long ago. Father believed in him, as have I come to do so as well."

Bursting into his mind instantly was a memory of the last moments with his father. His father had just done battle with Ryukotsusei and sealed the powerful dragon away, but had walked away with several fatal wounds. The two had talked shortly, mostly over what was most important.

"Sesshomaru, you once seemed to find that in life which could fulfill it. Do you desire power so much? Why do you seek power, my son?"

"The path I walk is the way of supreme conquest, and it is power that will reveal the way for me."

"Supreme conquest. Tell me, Sesshomaru, have you someone to protect?"

Sliding his eyes shut momentarily, the dog demon opened them to eye his brother. "I was such a fool then. Father gave me the answer I needed, yet I did not understand. After what I did to Kaoru, I could not grasp father's concept. I could not see past my own rage and ambition."

"But you, Iya, you understood. You understood father's words. For that, I am envious. I now understand, but all these years, I failed to see the truth in his words. To protect someone, to be willing to sacrifice your life for that person and willing to give up everything for them, that is to have true power. Father lived by such words, as does Iya. Even Inuyasha has learned, as have I at long last. Perhaps that is why it is you that must defeat the Lord of the South."

Taking a deep breath to finish calming his breathing, the dog demon called out "Let us end this fight, little brother."

"I couldn't agree with you more." Iya fired back.

Sliding back into ready stances, both summoned forth their demonic auras. Their auras flared about them and up and down their swords, sending their clothing and hair tussling in the fell wind. Both locked eyes, each finding that the other had no hesitation within them and only the desire to win the battle reflecting.

Charging all at once, the pair raced towards one another, swords ready to strike. Reaching each other, their blades met and a massive explosion followed way, hiding the results of the battle from the outside onlookers.

Bit by bit, the smoke and dust dissipated, along with the light from the explosion. Revealed at last, the two opponents became visible, each standing before one another with their blades raised at the others' throat. At the same time, deep gashes bled through their clothing, showing the extent of their attack on one another.

"A draw?" Inuyasha and Kouga questioned aloud in shock.

"Seems that way." Myoga confirmed.

At the same time, both smirked at one another prior to the pair removing their blades from each other's throats. A moment passed before the barrier surrounding them dispersed.

Moving towards the pair silently, Totosai smoothly said "Well, well, a most impressive battle. I believe he has proven himself, don't you, Sesshomaru?"

"Hn."

"Looks like you called it wrong, flea bag."

Throwing a glare at Inuyasha, Kouga countered "You were wrong too!"

Feigning bewilderment, Iya slowly asked "What are you two talking about?"

"Dog breath there said you would win the fight and bet thirty-five pieces of silver on it."

"Yeah, well, you bet Sesshomaru would win, yet he lost too! So come off it, you called it wrong also you mangy wolf!" Inuyasha snapped back.

"And we said it would end in a draw, so pay up you two." Totosai victoriously declared.

Getting a fearful look on his face, the silver haired hanyou mumbled "Kagome is going to kill me for wasting that money on this bet."

Sighing, Iya shook his head, muttering "I can't believe the four of you, betting on who would win our fight."

"Disappointing to say the least for the character of the Lord of the North." Sesshomaru coldly said.

"Hey, it seemed like a sure thing! I mean you …" Kouga defensively began, but was cut off promptly by a look from the Lord of the West that silenced him.

Chuckling at the wolf demon, Iya coolly said "Let's return to the stronghold. We should probably get ourselves healed before our mates find out what transpired."

000

000

Laying on their backs panting heavily in one of the many training areas surrounding the Western Stronghold, both Iya and Ichigo stared up at the sky as they tried to calm their breathing. Both were drenched in sweat and small amounts of blood from several wounds, but none were too concerning to either fighter.

"You've… gotten… good, Ichigo." Iya rasped out between breaths.

In a winded breath, Ichigo replied "You … too."

Slowly regaining control of his breathing, the dog hanyou sat up and questioned "So that was the power of your hollow?"

Mutely nodding his head, the quarter demon answered "Yeah, that was his power. I've yet to bring out all his power at once, but I'm getting a better handle on it than I once had a few months ago."

Becoming quiet for a moment, he slowly added "I'm not too worried about him acting up anymore, but that thought is still in the back of my head when I put my mask on. I know it's his power and that gives him the open door to possibly take over, but he knows better since I made him submit twice."

Falling back onto his back again, the hanyou stared up at the sky for a few moments, leaving a silence between himself and his partner. At last, he broke the silence, saying "It's hard to believe a month has nearly passed. In one more week, we leave for the Southern Lands."

"Scared?"

Shaking his head, Iya replied "Not really. I have more than enough to worry about, but as for myself, I'm not really scared of what might happen to me. The war will end one way or another, I promise you that."

Glancing over at the hanyou, the quarter demon quietly said "Don't sacrifice yourself."

"I don't intend to."

"You were more than willing to do so against The Thirteen. It was like you were possessed to take them down, no matter the cost. So again, don't sacrifice your life needlessly. You have people important to you that count on your very survival. Don't do something stupid."

Lightly chuckling, the hanyou ruefully remarked "I know that. You don't have to remind me about the fact that my mate's life is in my hands as well as my own."

"However, I won't allow the Lord of the South to continue this stupid war. What he has done to Japan is unforgivable. I cannot turn a blind eye to what he did. If it's the last thing I do, I will make certain he no longer has the capability to wage war."

Letting out a soft sigh, the quarter demon simply nodded to his partner and returned his vision skyward. Silence engulfed the pair for several minutes before the dog hanyou suddenly stood up and dusted himself off and offhandedly asked "Why haven't you mated with Orihime?"

"What the hell kind of question is that!" Ichigo roared as he was on his feet immediately. "I mean, come on! Where did that come from!"

Heavy sighing and turning away from his friend, the hanyou softly said "You're still not over her loss."

Taken back by the hanyou, the quarter demon looked down at the ground for a moment. In a low tone, he muttered "I can't help but worry what kind of mate I would be for Orihime."

"Orihime, she's the one I want to be with. In my heart, I know that much. But then my fears creep in to remind me how I failed to protect Rukia. She depended on me for protection, yet I let her die, by my own hand no less."

Holding his hand out low in front of him, the quarter demon stared at his hand for a moment until he said "Rukia died by my hand because I was too weak to protect her from Kenshin Himura. If not for my inability to protect her and save her from such a cruel fate, she would still be here right now by my side."

"The future is always uncertain, Ichigo." Iya stated in a quiet tone. "I did not know how my own future would turn out when I mated with Lilly. My demon side chose her, along with my human and hanyou sides. It's true that I marked her while in my demon form, but deep down in my heart, I knew then and there that I wanted her by my side always and forever. That's why when she chose to accept my feelings and she asked to mark me, I couldn't say no to her. I love her and could never deny that."

Turning to face the quarter demon, he added "You love Orihime, that much is clear. However, you must not doubt your ability to protect her. I too had doubts over my own ability to protect Lilly from danger, but I realized in due time that no matter what happened I couldn't doubt myself. Doubt only makes you distance yourself from the one you love, and by doing that, you hurt them more than you do by failing to protect them."

Closing the distance between them, the hanyou placed a gentle hand on his partner's shoulder and kindly said "I know in my heart you will make the correct decision, but you must remember, to leave the one you love waiting too long is costly. Orihime loves you with all her heart, but she may not wait forever on you to make up your own mind on that fact. Sometimes one loves someone so much they must let that person go, and if you're not careful, she may do so to you."

Watching the quarter demon look up with a touch of fear in his eyes, the hanyou smiled. "But I doubt Orihime would give up that easily. Just remember, she loves you, so don't keep her waiting forever."

Processing the words of his friend, the quarter demon mutely nodded his head and glanced up at the late afternoon sky. Feeling like a load had been lifted off of his heart, he said "Thank you, Iya."

"Don't worry about it." the hanyou commented as he picked his sword up off the ground and returned it to it's sheath. "I must be going, I told Sesshomaru I'd meet him to discuss some minute issues that have arisen in the battle plans."

Walking off, the hanyou suddenly stopped and threw a look over his shoulder at the still standing quarter demon before saying "Don't let her slip away."

Continuing onwards, Iya smiled to himself. "Sometimes Ichigo, you just need someone to kick start you in the right direction."

000

000

Sitting under a leafy oak tree and cooling off from their training session were Lilly, Yoshe, and Orihime. Each of the girls had minor cuts and scrapes on their bodies from their training, but no serious injuries. All three girls were sipping from bamboo canteens, allowing the cool water to refresh and hydrate their tired bodies.

"That was one of our most intense training sessions in a while." Lilly commented as she leaned back against the tree to relax her aching body. Reaching up and wiping her brow, she added "I don't think we've fought that way in quite some time."

"I agree." Yoshe answered with a small smile. Summoning a bit of her ice powers to chill the air around them in order to give them some comfort, the ice demoness said "It's not much, but I can at least help lessen our discomfort."

"We could have just went swimming." Orihime suggested. "I doubt anyone will find us."

Thinking on the bobcat mage's words momentarily, the ice demoness shook her head, saying "I don't think so. I need to be returning to the stronghold very soon. Sesshomaru wished to share a dinner with me tonight, and I just have enough time to return to get prepared."

"That's nice of him to want to do that." the neko softly remarked.

Nodding her head, the ice demoness stood up and dusted off her elegant yukata. Flashing a smile at the pair, she kindly said "I will see the two of you tomorrow."

"Good evening, Yoshe." both the hanyou and mage simultaneously replied.

Watching the demoness taking her leave grow smaller and smaller from her sight, Lilly let out a soft sigh as she leaned back against the tree a little more. Yawning, she slid her emerald eyes shut and inhaled the scents all around her.

Eyes lazily opening, she slid a glance towards the silent mage. A bit hesitant, she decided to break the peace and quiet.

"Ichigo and you are courting, right?"

Earning herself a small nod of acknowledgement, the neko's brow furrowed. "How long?"

"Four years nearly."

Cut the neko off from asking her next question, Orihime quietly said "I haven't been pressing him over mating with me. He's not ready for it."

A touch ashamed for asking something so personal, but at the same time embarrassed that the mage had figured out her line of questioning, the neko replied "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Lilly. That is something that has been on my mind as well as of late. I often ponder on it at times, but then I remember that I must be patient with Ichigo. His heart hasn't fully recovered from the loss of Rukia, his first mate. That's why I refuse to press the issue with him any longer. I love him, but I won't force him into something he isn't ready for."

Admiring the wise words of the bobcat demoness, Lilly smiled weakly at her and said "You're far wiser than I am."

Shaking her head and lightly chuckling at the same time, the bobcat mage wistfully responded with "I'm not wise at all. If I was, life would be much simpler."

Still slightly smiling, the neko leaned back against the tree and inhaled the air, only to frown instantly as she sat back up. Throwing a confused look at the demoness, the hanyou quietly asked "Orihime, are you... um, in heat?"

"I thought I had fully masked my scent. I guess it slipped a little since I used up so much power during that fight."

"Why aren't you cooped up?" Lilly questioned with concern ringing in her voice.

Giggling, the mage replied "You needn't worry about me going into heat. In fact, I've been going into heat around demons for many years. My heats are a bit mild and less crippling than the heats other demons receive. To be honest, I've rarely kept to myself during them. Usually I just spend a few hours a day during my heats pleasuring myself to keep those irritating feelings tamped down enough to allow me to concentrate."

Finding a blush spreading across the neko's cheeks, the mage let out another giggle. "I'm surprised, you're a neko and yet you're still not comfortable talking about sex openly, are you?"

In a heated, but embarrassed tone, the neko hanyou grit out "I'm only half neko, and at that I am more human than neko."

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, the demoness lightly giggled again. "It's alright to be embarrassed. Some demons are very open about it, like bobcats. For me to say out loud that I pleasure myself to relieve my heat isn't anything too shocking really, but that's to a bobcat demon probably."

"But I thought demons would not be able to keep themselves from... you know... with someone else while in heat." Lilly shyly countered.

Smiling a bit at the obviously embarrassed hanyou, Orihime remarked "Most demons do have that trouble, but again, I have rather mild heats. I don't think I've had to have it relieved for many years to be quite honest. Plus, thanks to my powers, I'm able to lighten my heats even more, which helps a lot. The last time I actually laid with anyone while in heat was probably at least fifty or sixty years ago."

Eyes widening, the neko blurted out "It's been that long since you've ..."

Amused by the suddenly shade of blush coating the neko's cheeks, the demoness burst out loud into fits of laughter and rolled onto her side. She laughed for a few minutes before at last regaining control. Sitting up, she found an unhappy hanyou, but still couldn't help but let out a few stifled giggles.

"I'm sorry, really I am." Orihime managed to say between chuckles. "It's just cute to see your reactions to this subject is all."

Regaining control, she added "No, it hasn't been that long since I've lain with anyone."

Grinning devilishly at the crimson blush now covering the neko's face, the mage commented "I know, sounds bad to you, but oh well. Anyways, it's been over ten years since I have done anything like that."

"Oh..." was the only response she received.

"At any rate, you shouldn't worry about me being in heat. I can take care of it like I have for years. I know you're probably concerned that I'll end up like Iya or Sango, but I have a lot of practice in dealing with it. I usually mask my scent so others won't become distracted by me, as well I make sure that I don't allow myself to be alone with a man for too long. You'll probably be surprised to know that I go into heat monthly."

Shock and surprise covered Lilly's face as she quietly said "Oh, I didn't know."

Nodding her head, Orihime added "It's alright. Bobcats just have monthly heats. It's nothing to be concerned about."

Standing up and glancing up at the setting sun, the mage flashed a quick smile at the neko before saying "I'm going to return to the stronghold now. I need to take care of this pesky heat. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

Waving to the neko, the mage took her leave, leaving the neko behind to her thoughts.

000

000

Finding himself standing outside of Orihime's room, Ichigo tried to find the courage within himself to knock on the door. He had been standing there for several minutes, each time he was about to knock, he would lower his hand and turn to walk away. This was his fifth attempt, but he found himself still unable to go through with it.

"Damn it, just knock on the door! You've faced opponents many times stronger than yourself without any fear, yet to simply ask one question to someone, I can't find the courage!"

Taking a deep breath, the quarter demon raised his hand to knock, only to have the door suddenly open.

Thanks everyone for reading the chapter. Now, if you could do me a kind favor and review to let me know what you think of the chapter, I'd appreciate it. Till next time!