Hello once again everyone. Life has been fun the last two weeks. At work, our project is coming to a close, and thankfully, I've completed all my tasks early. Heh, it's kind of shocking to me that this is the case, seeing how I'm usually the one lagging behind, hehe. Anyways, I finished my tasks, so I got a new set, which I finished within a day or two. Now I'm looking for more work, again, lol. I got some yesterday, but apparently that task had magically fixed itself, so I'm back to square one once more. At any rate, our project ends on the 11th this month, so good times are ahead. Last night, I went and saw my grandparents. My one uncle from Tennessee was in, which was cool, though he's a bit of a long winded talker, lol. I enjoy talking with him though, seeing how he's a former programmer. I also got to see my sister and her fiancé last night too, and we all had a pretty good time. Poor grandpa though, he seemed to be out of it last night. He was talking about building a house and selling it, then about other odds and ends, things that he isn't capable of doing anymore. Other than that, life seems to be the same for the most part. My mate and I are talking about buying a house this spring so we don't have to pay rent any longer. Rent is the most expensive thing we have to pay, but we could be buy a house cheaper than what we pay, so we're going to look into it. I'm somewhat excited about that prospect, but my mate is super happy about it, hehe. I don't know why, but she is. Heh, kind of strange to see her so excited about something like that I guess.
Writing wise, things are coming about nicely. I'm currently working on a two part one-shot for Yugioh GX called Second Best, which should be done in the next few days. I'll probably post it either next week or the week after. It's just a little something I whipped up when I got to being nostalgic about dueling. As for this story, things are fine with it. There are three more chapters after this one more than likely, so things are coming to an end I suppose. This story should be done posting in December, right before Christmas. What I'll do afterwards, well, that's somewhat undecided/decided. Lol, very informative, aren't I?
Moving along, time once more for the reviews!
Espada Zero: LOL! Always with Ichigo when I hear from you, hehe. He's alive and around somewhere… Lol, soap opera moments? Eh, I guess you're right about that really, in a way. Heh, the plot has morphed so much, I can't really say anymore, hehe. Yes, the Bleach manga is intense at the moment, and seems to only get even more so with each issue. Thanks for the review!
Kattana: Thanks about the fight. Heh, it was quite fun to write. Yeah, Iya didn't kill Yukio, but I doubt he would leave Lilly that unprotected. I'm sure he's sure enough that she can take care of herself, plus they're all three injured to top things off, so it's not like they're going to fight her most likely. True, Yukio may listen to reason once he realizes what Iya and Lilly have done for him, but who knows. After all, he was taught to hate him by Kaia, so it stands to reason that nearly three hundred years of hatred can't be washed away by one single act. Thanks for the review!
The Rainwalker: West Virginia is the same as always, lol. Not much changes here, other than the seasons and shades of rust on the cards, hehe. Kidding of course. Cool about breaking up your writer's block. That plagues me from time to time, which makes things frustrating, especially when you're trying your best to post in a timely manner. Did you like G-Gundam? I really enjoyed watching it when it used to be on TV, plus I began watching it again on YouTube, which was a lot of fun and brought back a lot of fond memories. I heard good things about Escaflowne, but never took the time to watch all of it. It went off the air when I was a kid, which was disappointing in itself. I just haven't had the time to watch it on YouTube, yet. Heh, glad you liked the fight. Well, the reasoning to why Iya wasn't as tired as his son is kind of simple. In his human form, he was spent, but when he reverted back to his hanyou form, his energy was kind of replenished. So in essence, he got a bit of a pick me up that kept him going. Meanwhile, Yukio had been in hanyou form all night and had to use up a good bit of power fighting not only Iya, but Lilly and Uryu as well. That took it's toll, so when Iya returned to his hanyou form, Yukio was just outclassed due that he had not the reserves to keep up with his father. Did that help explain it for you? True, Iya was not aggressive with Yukio once he had the upper hand. He had no reason to, plus he wanted to end it peacefully with his son submitting to him. Yeah, Iya did do the one thing he wished to do, which was keep his son alive, though that did take a bit of skill to do so. Very true about breaking the chains of hatred. Yep, it's probably better than those two hanyous and the three demons stay outside of the village, seeing how they reacted badly in Another to Iya, Ichigo, and Lilly's (hanyou form that is) presence. Heh, yes, good mantra, hehe. Ah yes, Uryu is fine, for the most part. Iya does need Ketsaiga fixed, but it seems he's off to have it fixed. Eh, Inuyasha did far more damage to Tetsusaiga than Iya has to Ketsaiga, hehe. Inuyasha had his sword in pieces, not with just a chunk of it missing like Iya's sword is. Glad you really enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for the review!
Well, that's it for the reviews. Thanks to all three of you for them. I know I say this each time, but I do really appreciate them. It's kind of inspiration for me to keep doing what I'm doing, seeing how everyone for the most part likes what I'm doing at this point, though some want to know where Ichigo is, hehe. Just picking, naturally. But seriously, I really do enjoy reading what everyone has to say about my story. It makes me believe that what I'm writing is enjoyable, possibly, lol.
At any rate, time for me to wrap this up. I hope everyone likes this chapter. A few familiar faces will show up, so for those naysayers that comment that none of the original Inuyasha characters are in here (other than Myoga, who really doesn't count that much, lol), this should settle things. At that, enjoy!
Chapter 10
"MY BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF WORK, RUINED!" an old man's voice wailed from within a cave.
Flattening his ears to his head, Iya couldn't help but cringe from the loud voice. Mentally rolling his eyes, he glanced at the old man who cradled his damaged sword in his hands. He had bulged out eyes, a thin patch of gray hair pulled back in a ponytail, a mustache and goatee, wrinkly skin, and long nails. His clothing consisted of a simple green and black striped outfit that fit him loosely.
With tears falling to the ground, the old man glared at the dog hanyou, yelling "I counted on you to not break your sword, unlike those two other brats!"
"I don't think Sesshomaru or Inuyasha would take it very lightly if you called them brats, Master Totosai." Iya evenly responded.
Taken back slightly, Totosai slowly asked "You aren't going to tell them what I said, are you?"
Mentally chuckling, the dog hanyou shook his head, allowing the old man to let out a sigh of relief. Examining the damaged sword once more, he looked carefully at the piece missing out of the blade.
"You must have struck something pretty hard to do that kind of damage."
Nodding in reply with saddened eyes, Iya quietly replied "Yeah, you could say that. Can you fix it, Master Totosai?"
"Of course I can!" Totosai fired back. "It's not too much trouble to mend Ketsaiga. To fix it, I'll need a fang of yours."
"That's not a problem." the dog hanyou nonchalantly replied. Looking at the pieces of the second sword that he had brought with him, he asked "Can you fix this sword also?"
Putting Ketsaiga down, the old man looked at the damaged blade. Picking up both halves, he careful examined each piece.
After a moment of examination, he finally said "This blade is interesting. I can feel the power radiating off of it. Do you know who forged it?"
Shaking his head, the hanyou calmly replied "No, I don't know who forged it, but I know what it was made out of."
Noting hesitation in the dog hanyou, the old man began to ask, only to be cut off by the hanyou speaking once more. "That sword, Fenrir, was forged from the fangs of Byakuya Kuchiki and…"
Feeling his voice slightly break, Iya pushed on, saying "… Kaia Arisawa."
"Kaia!?" Totosai instantly asked in shock, only to note the slight flinch on the face of the hanyou before him. Examining the blade once more, he said "That would explain all of the power it has then. The fangs of Byakuya Kuchiki would be more than enough to make any weapon exceptionally powerful, and then to place the fangs of that hanyou into it too… It's surprising that you want to have it fixed."
"I won't be the one to use it. The one who will is Kaia's son, Yukio."
Gasping once more, the old man looked at the face of the hanyou, who was staring at the ground with sadness seemingly emanating from him. "Is he the one who did the damage to Ketsaiga?"
Meekly nodding, Iya raised his head to stare the old man in the eye. With glassy muddy brown eyes, he weakly said "Yukio is not only Kaia's son, but he is mine as well."
Mulling over the information the dog hanyou had just given him, the old man let out a ragged sigh. "I guess that rat demon was correct then all those years ago."
"Rat demon?"
Nodding in reply, Totosai replied "Yes, you see, back when Kaia first vanished, a rat demon by the name of Ranoldo was captured. He was a traitor to the Northern Lands and happened to be captured by one of the guards who patrolled the Western Stronghold."
"Upon being captured, Ranoldo tried to bargain his way out of his capture by requesting an audience with Lord Inutaisho. Your father granted it to him. At the time, I was visiting the Western Stronghold to inspect Lord Inutaisho's swords, along with Ketsaiga, but your father decided to include me in the meeting."
Pausing for a moment, the old man slowly continued on, saying "Ranoldo begged Lord Inutaisho to not send him back to the Northern Lands for trial, saying he would give him all the information he had on them. Naturally, Lord Inutaisho was uninterested in the info due that the Northern and Western Lands were allies. Still, Ranoldo ranted on, spewing info and rumors, but parts of them were untrue. But then he brought up something that had to do with the Western Lands, which caught the ear of your father."
"He said he had passed a young woman that was leaving the area near the Western Stronghold. He claimed she had the scent of someone with child, and that he determined the scent was that of yours. Lord Inutaisho pondered on the info, but based on the evidence that the rat demon had been giving, it was believed to be another rumor. He decided that Ranoldo would say anything to save himself and sent him back to the Lord of the North for punishment."
Digesting the words of the old man, Iya quietly asked "Why wasn't I told of this?"
Shrugging, Totosai responded evenly with "We thought it was simply a rumor, but I gather that it was true now that you have confirmed it."
"I see…"
Looking at the hanyou, the old man calmly said "Try not to worry about it. No one could have known she was pregnant. She left before anyone even noticed she was gone. You need to let it go and move on."
"I have been trying!" Iya angrily snapped, breaking his normal calm composure. At once, he realized what he had done and muttered "I'm sorry… It just seems like every time I begin to put my past to rest, something unexpectedly comes up, reminding me once more of what I once did to Kaia."
Staring at the ground with downcast eyes, he quietly said "I can't blame Yukio for hating me all these years. Kaia refused to love him the way he deserved to be because his eyes reminded her of mine. It's like she punished him for being my son. And then there is the fact that it was thanks to me that both his mother and guardian were killed."
"You can't blame yourself for something that girl did." Totosai retorted. "She made her choice long ago to leave you and not let you know your son. She was most likely afraid you would take him away."
"But I never would have!" the dog hanyou protested. "If I had known, I would have mated her, even if it wasn't out of love. I would have taken up the duty to protect both of them with my life. I'd have given up everything for her just so we could raise our son."
Dejectedly, he muttered "Instead, she ran away without a word, leaving me to only wonder why she left."
Letting out a small sigh, the old man shook his head, saying "You hanyous take everything so personally."
"And what's that supposed to mean!?" Iya demanded.
"If ever something happens to any of you where the situation looks like your fault, you decide that you cannot be forgiven for it. What you and your younger brother seem to not understand is mistakes are made, but it's what you do about those mistakes that defines you."
Taking in the words of the old man, the dog hanyou couldn't help but smile and let out a soft chuckle. "I suppose you're right, Master Totosai."
"Of course I am! I've been around forever you young whippersnapper, so I know what I'm talking about here."
Reaching over to pull out a pair of long handled pliers, he looked at the hanyou and calmly asked "Can you open your mouth and go 'ah'?"
Frowning, Iya asked "You mean like this? Ah!"
A loud yell of pain soon filled the air outside the cave, along with the sound of a heavy thump.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Releasing a heavy sigh while staring at the slow moving stream from the waterside dock, Lilly couldn't help but feel an aching in her heart for her mate's return. He had only been gone for a few hours, but she longed to be held in his comforting arms that seemed to always shelter her from any harm.
Closing her eyes, she allowed the memories of an only an hour before to slowly replay in her mind.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hearing footsteps approaching the hut she sat in, the neko hanyou stepped outside to find the elder Quincy leading her parents and her cousin towards the hut. Smiling, she began walking towards them, but quickly noted the tension in her parents' faces.
"Momma, Poppa, it's me, Lilly."
Staring into the emerald eyes of the neko, the older woman stepped forward slightly, asking "Is it really you?"
Nodding, the neko stepped closer towards the woman. Reaching out and grasping her mother's hand, Lilly held it gently, saying "Momma, it is really me. I may look somewhat different on the outside, but inside, I am still the same as I always have been."
Letting go of her daughter's hand, Miralla gently reached her hand up and carefully placed it onto the neko's cheek. Still staring deep into the emerald eyes of the hanyou, the older woman softly smiled and suddenly reached forward, embracing her daughter into a tight hug.
"It is you, Lilly!" Miralla quietly commented while holding her daughter tightly and softly stroking her hair.
Enjoying the feeling of her mother stroking her hair, Lilly felt hot tears start spilling down her cheeks as she returned the embrace. Picking up the scent of her mother's tears, the neko pulled back to look her mother full in the face. Both softly smiled at one another and let out a relaxed chuckle.
Smile suddenly vanishing, the older woman quietly whispered "I'm so sorry for that day all those months ago, Lilly… We thought…"
"That is not our daughter, Miralla." Tarja suddenly spoke up, cutting the older woman's sentence off. "Why do you comfort a demon?"
Turning towards the older man, Miralla fiercely replied "Tarja, this is our daughter! I can tell it is, just looking into her eyes. I know this is Lilly, without a doubt in my heart."
Crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the neko, he angrily spat back "That thing is not our daughter. It is an abomination."
"Headman Tarja, you are blind to the truth."
Turning to find it was Uryū who had spoken, the older man snarled out "Don't speak to me in tongues, Master Quincy. I want you to remove that thing from our village. She is not our daughter."
"Don't Tarja!" Miralla called out, only to have her husband turn his back on her and begin to walk off.
"I will not do it, Headman Tarja."
Coming to an abrupt stop, Tarja turned to find a stone faced Quincy staring back at him with hardened eyes. "I command you to do this!"
Not even flinching at the words of the elder man, the Quincy evenly replied "You are acting foolish, Headman Tarja."
Pointing at Lilly with his right hand, he calmly said "I was with her this morning during the battle to protect this village when she transformed back into her hanyou form. That is your daughter for certain, Headman Tarja. You can trust my word."
"As for your command, I have lived in this village since requested by Sai to train him. I live here only to help protect this village and train Sai. However, I do not live here to serve at your whim. I will protect this village always, but never will I harm those I deem not dangerous to this village. Your daughter there, she is no danger to this village, nor is her mate, so I will not force her out."
Casting a glare at the Quincy, the elder man began to reply, only to stop. He glanced at the neko hanyou for a moment, only to find tears streaming down her face while she held his wife.
A moment passed before he said "We are leaving, Miralla."
"But Tarja…"
"Do not argue with me." Tarja firmly commanded.
Bowing her head, Miralla whispered in a voice that only the neko could hear "I am truly sorry, Lilly. I'll try to talk to him. I do love you, no matter what happens."
Mutely nodding, Lilly embraced her mother one last time, before saying "I love you too Momma."
Releasing her mother, the neko watched her walk away with her father, whom didn't spare her a second glance. Looking confused at what to do, Sai finally trailed after the pair, leaving only the neko and Quincy behind.
Feeling overwhelmed by her emotions, the hanyou turned and ran towards the nearby dock, where she went to the end and sank down to the wooden floor and brought her knees up to her chest and began sobbing into them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feeling new tears beginning to form from the pained memory, the neko swished her tail behind herself while staring out at the water. It was clear and slow moving, seemingly just meandering past the village.
"Iya won't be back for another day..." she dejectedly muttered in her mind. "I just wish he was here, so he could hold me and help me through this. He was right all along that my family could never accept me as a hanyou. I am so damn naïve!"
Burying her head back into her knees, her ears twitched as she picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. Soon enough, the footsteps began crossing the wooden pier and moving towards her, but she made no move to look to see who it was. Sniffing the air, she found the familiar scent of her cousin, but said nothing.
Coming to a stop two feet behind the silent neko hanyou, Sai uneasily shifted his feet for a moment before finally speaking up. "Lilly?"
Not even bothering to lift her head, she quietly asked "Yes, what is it Sai?"
Staring down at his cousin, the Quincy in training moved beside of her, taking a seat so that he was close to her. Glancing at her, he sadly smiled.
"You know he will come around, right?"
Lifting her head to reveal puffy red eyes, the neko softly whispered "I don't think he'll ever accept me."
Silence filled the air for a few long moments before Sai replied "I know he'll realize it's you soon. He's just denying it."
"He'll never come to trust me as I am." Lilly whimpered in a defeated tone. "I managed to get through to Momma, but Poppa just doesn't understand."
Whipping the tears from her eyes, she hugged her knees closer to her chest, saying "I didn't have a choice in becoming a hanyou. That was made by Kenshin Himura. Still, even though he made that choice for me, I did have a chance to become human once more."
Casting an unbelieving glance at his cousin, the Quincy in training asked "Why didn't you then? You could have come home and lived the life you always dreamed of."
"That's just it." the neko wistfully answered with a small smile. "Everything I dreamed of as a little girl and growing up here in the village, none of it seemed to matter anymore. I guess that's due that I fell in love with Iya and I was more than willing to sacrifice those dreams in order to live with him for the rest of my life."
"You've given up so much though." the Quincy in training commented. "Are you truly happy with him?"
Smile widening, the neko nodded her head. "I love Iya with all of my heart and soul, and I know for certain he loves me in return the same way. He has risked his life to protect mine on several occasions and wouldn't hesitate to lay down his life for my own. In turn, I feel the same way and would risk everything to protect him, even if that meant I would lose my own life."
"There is nothing that can change how I feel for him. When I was given the opportunity to become human once more, I thought about doing it, but then I remembered just how much I love him, and how I enjoy being with him as I am. If I became human, I would lose the ability to protect him, and that's not what I wanted."
Letting out a small chuckle, she added "Besides, being hanyou isn't so bad. Most people don't trust me now due that I have demon blood flowing in my veins, but that doesn't mean I'm any less human than I once was. My appearance may have altered, but I am truly the same inside. I'm no less naïve than I once was I suppose."
Softly smiling at his cousin, Sai glanced out at the water. "If you're truly happy the way you are, then I am truly happy for you, cousin."
Turning to see she was staring at him with a similar smile on her face, he added "To be truthful, when you vanished that day with those two, I nearly lost faith that I would ever see you again. I had just lost my master and the village was so unprotected, even with me being there."
"Then I left to find a replacement protector and eventually found Master Uryū. During our training, he taught me to not give up hope. He inspired me to realize that you had to be alive, even if everyone else thought you weren't. I regained my hope that you were."
Reaching out with her clawed hand and placing it on the Quincy in training's one that sat on the dock, the neko hanyou flashed a genuine smile at him. "I never stopped thinking about all of you to be honest. Being with Iya has made the fact that I missed home less painful, but I still wanted to return home and let everyone know I was alive still. I just hate that things turned out the way they did."
Looking back out at the stream, Lilly softly said "I just wish that I could convince Poppa of who I am."
"He'll come around, Lilly." Sai answered with a reassurance in his voice.
Casting a small smile at her cousin, the neko nodded. Noticing he was staring at her with curious eyes, she asked "What?"
Blushing slightly, the Quincy in training softly replied "Well, uh… Does it feel strange to have those ears on your head and that tail?"
Giggling innocently, the hanyou reached up to the top of her head and gently rubbed the soft appendages. "To be honest, I've gotten rather used to them. You should have seen me when I first became a hanyou though."
Pausing for a moment, she smiled once more, saying "Why don't I tell you about my experiences in learning to be a hanyou."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stepping back out of the hut, the neko hanyou inhaled the cool air of the day. It was nearly midday and the sun was hanging in the sky at it's highest point. Moving away from the doorway of the hut and to the side of the building, she noted that both Quincy sat in silence. Glancing at the pair, she saw both had their eyes shut and chests slowly rising and falling in a peaceful rhythm.
"They both did have a rough night, with Uryū especially. His fight must have exhausted him for him to have fallen into such a deep sleep."
Leaping up onto the roof of the hut quietly, Lilly laid down onto her back and put her hands behind her head. Looking up at the afternoon sky, she couldn't help but softly smile at the passing clouds.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled all the scents around her. Identifying each and every single one, she once more smiled.
"I've missed this village so much. Even though things haven't gone as well as I had hoped they would, it's just nice to get to come home. I didn't expect anyone to really accept me once I became hanyou, but that doesn't matter. So long as I have Iya, that's all I need."
Cracking her emerald eyes open, she softly sighed. "I still wish I could convince my father that I am who I say I am. It hurts knowing he can't accept me for what I've become."
Shutting her eyes once more, the hanyou took a deep breath and let out a small sigh before reaching out with her senses once more. Inhaling a soft breeze that was coming from the south, she frowned and opened her eyes while slowly sitting up before taking in another deep whiff of the air blowing towards her.
Standing, she began scanning the area to the south of the village for any demonic auras and slowly allowed a small smile to grace her face when she found two familiar ones.
Jumping down to the ground on the side where the two Quincy slept, she glanced at the pair for a moment. Biting her lower lip, she moved to her cousin and lightly shook him. Yawning for a moment, his eyes gradually opened, revealing unfocused dark black orbs.
"Sai, I need to ask you a favor. Can you stay here with those three demons while I go out to meet a few friends that came to help?"
Yawning, the Quincy in training soon had his brows furrowed. "Friends of yours?"
Motioning her head in the direction of south, she replied "Yeah, I just picked up their scents and made sure it was their auras. Both of them helped us defeat The Thirteen, plus they are my brother and sister-in-laws."
Once more yawning, Sai carefully stood up, being careful not to wake his master. "I guess I can, but don't be gone too long."
"Thanks, you're the best Sai." Lilly warmly responded before embracing her cousin in a quick hug.
Pulling back, the neko noted the blush from contact on her cousin's face. Not commenting, she turned and began running in the direction of south.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reaching the area where the battle between her mate and his son had taken place, Lilly immediately recognized two figures that were taking in the surroundings of the former battlefield. Quickly moving towards them, she noted both looked the same as she remembered from her previous visit.
The first was a female dog hanyou with butt length ebony hair that hung freely, with a black puffy tail sticking out from under her hair. Upon her head were two dog ears that twitched slightly. The young woman wore a pink kimono top and pants with a sword that had a purple braded cloth on the hilt and a purple band on it's sheath.
Next to her, a male dog hanyou, who was down on all fours and sniffing the ground, with long silver hair that reached his butt in length and two silver dog ears on his head. His clothing consisted of a red kimono top and pants with a sword that had a gray cloth wrap that was tattered and sat in a sheath with a single red stripe on it.
"I swear Inuyasha, why must you get down on your hands and knees like that!?"
Casting a glare at the female hanyou, Inuyasha grunted out "Because it helps me pick up the scents of those who have been here, Kagome. Besides, why are you worried? Not like anyone is around here."
Softly chuckling at the pair, the neko noted both looked up immediately at her. Staring at her with warm honey colored eyes, Kagome called out "Lilly!"
Closing the gap, the two soon embraced one another, with each smiling at one another. Releasing each other, the pair watched the male dog hanyou move up beside of them with his hands stuck into the sleeves of his kimono.
Eyeing the neko with his amber colored eyes, he asked "Where is Iya? I take it he's alive since I haven't found his body on the battlefield and you're still alive."
"Inuyasha, don't be so rude!" the female dog hanyou hissed.
Wistfully smiling, Lilly replied "He's still alive, Inuyasha."
Accepting the answer, the male hanyou glanced around the former battlefield before returning his attention to the neko. "I'd be guessing he fought a massive battle with those demons that were chasing after you three."
"Yeah, the three of them caught up with us early this morning. So, Sesshomaru's message got to you, but it seems you're a bit late getting here it seems."
Flicking a glance at his mate, Inuyasha grunted out "Feh, I wanted to come alone, but Kagome decided to join me, even though she shouldn't be here…"
"I have as much a right to come with you as anyone else, Inuyasha!" Kagome firmly declared with fire in her eyes.
"Feh, when you're with child, you're not supposed to go into battle, idiot."
Blinking with confusion, the neko turned to the female dog hanyou, asking "You're pregnant?"
Turning to her sister-in-law, the female dog hanyou nodded her head while allowing a small smile to grace her face. "I just found out this week."
Smiling widely, the neko moved forward and embraced the female dog hanyou tightly, saying "I'm so happy for you."
Pulling away, she once more smiled. In an excited tone, the neko said "I bet Iya will be surprised to find out he's going to be an uncle soon."
"Yeah, yeah, happy day for Iya becoming an uncle." Inuyasha grumbled.
Casting a glare at her mate, Kagome growled out through clenched teeth "Inuyasha…"
Eyes widening, he quickly put his hands up in defense, saying "I didn't mean to make it sound unimportant, I swear…"
"SIT BOY!"
Glowing to life, the prayer beads around the neck of the male hanyou jerked him face first into the ground, causing a small crater to form from the impact. The subduing spell soon wore off, with the dog hanyou jumping up with anger flashing in his eyes. One look at his mate though made him settle and stuff his hands into his sleeves and turn his head away.
Sweat dropping at the exchange that had just happened before her, the neko cleared her throat, saying "Anyways, Iya isn't here at the moment. He left to go see Totosai once the battle was over and I bandaged his wounds."
Frowning at the response of the neko, Inuyasha turned to look at her and asked "Why did he go to see the old man?"
"Ketsaiga was damaged in the battle with the demon that he fought." the neko quietly commented. "Even though it took that much damage, his opponent's sword was cut cleanly in two."
Glancing around, the male hanyou reached up behind his head and began scratching for a moment before asking "Was he hurt very badly?"
Letting out a sigh, the neko glanced at the ground before softly saying "He was somewhat injured, but not very badly. He had a large gash in his shoulder, but nothing that shouldn't heal easily enough."
Hesitating for a moment, she added "The truth of the matter is I think the fight was more damaging emotionally than physically."
"What do you mean by that?" Kagome asked with concern in her voice.
Staring to answer, the neko stopped quickly and shook her head. "I think it's best Iya would explain it."
Brow furrowing, the female dog hanyou quietly nodded her head after a moment. "I guess so."
"By the way, Lilly, do you know anything about this village?"
A faint smile graced the neko's lips as she glanced back in the direction of the village. In a quiet tone, she said "That village, it's where I grew up as a child."
"So that's why you two were out here." Inuyasha commented. "I wondered why he would bother to come this far out."
"I'm sure you two are tired after running this far. Come on, I'll take you to where the others are and you can rest there."
"Others?" Inuyasha and Kagome questioned in unison.
"Yeah, the three demons that attacked the village that were after us are being kept in a hut on the outside of the village."
"Wait, you mean you two didn't kill those three demons!?" Inuyasha questioned in a firm tone.
Shaking her head in a no motion, Lilly calmly replied "We did not kill them. Each of us had our reasons for not doing so."
Turning away and beginning to walk towards the village, the neko called out "Better come along slowpokes or I'll leave you behind."
Glancing at one another for a brief moment, the two dog hanyous began walking after the neko.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quietly chatting amongst themselves back and forth, the three hanyous began to come into sight of the hut where the three demons were secured. Without warning, an arrow of light blue energy came flying towards the ground before the three, but before it could, the male hanyou grabbed both of the female hanyous and leapt backwards a few feet.
Glaring up in the direction from where the arrow came from, the male hanyou found a black haired man with a black bow that had an intricate white design etched into it and a glowing light blue arrow notched.
"Who the fuck do you think you are shooting that arrow at my mate and me!?" Inuyasha snarled.
"Stop it, both of you!" Lilly angrily snapped while stepping before the enraged hanyou and in the path of the Quincy. Taking a calming breath, she smoothly said "Uryū, these are two of my friends who came to help in the fight with those three."
Releasing tension on his bow and dismissing it, the Quincy nodded, but not before falling to one knee. On his knee, he began panting heavily while sweat poured down the sides of his face. Without warning, on his left shoulder, red began to seep through the white bandages.
Seeing the Quincy in pain, the neko ran to the hut in which he stood on and quickly picked him up before he could say a thing. Effortlessly, she jumped back down to the ground and set him onto it.
Ripping open his white top to see the bandages, Lilly growled out "Damn it, you reopened your wounds! Your powers were already waning and you were hurt enough, so why did you have to go and be so reckless once more!?"
Scowling at the neko hanyou, Uryū replied "I woke up when you were getting close, but I sensed those two other demonic auras, so I wasn't sure if they were friend or foe."
"Why didn't Sai tell you what was going on?"
Flinching physically as she began to rip the bandages that covered his left shoulder, the Quincy quietly responded "He was in the hut at the time, checking on those others. There was no time to really think about what was going on. I just simply acted."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, the neko only shook her head as she pulled a jar of salve out of her kimono top. Reaching back into her top, she drew out a roll of bandages and a cloth before setting all of them down onto the ground next to her.
"Inuyasha, can you do me a favor and fetch me a bowl of water? There is a bowl over there against the hut."
Staring at the neko's back, the male dog hanyou only crossed his arms and began to give a scathing reply, but before he could, he caught sight of a fierce glare coming from his mate. Grumbling lowly to himself, he walked off towards the hut and picked up the bowl and proceeded towards the nearby stream.
Turning her attention to the Quincy on the ground, Kagome came up beside the neko and asked "Do you mind if I help?"
"No, I'd kind of appreciate it." Lilly commented. Softly chuckling, she added "I'm never been very good at taking care of wounds. Iya had Kiyomi, a silver fox demon, teach me how to bound wounds and treat them while we were at the Western Stronghold, and I had a bit of knowledge before that thanks to my mother. Still, I don't think I do a very good job."
About to respond, the dog hanyou stopped when she heard a rustling sound coming from the hut. A moment passed before the other Quincy stepped out. One look at his master and he immediately came running to his side.
"Master Uryū! What happened!?"
Both hanyous flattened their ears from the loud voice of the Quincy in training. Instantly, he realized what he had done and looked down with embarrassment, mumbling "I'm sorry…"
"It's alright, Sai. Uryū will be fine, if he just rests." Lilly flatly commented. "He decided to get up and reopen his wounds."
Scoffing at the words of the neko, the Quincy laying on the ground turned his head away from the pair of hanyous. "I told you I was concerned when I sensed the two demonic auras approaching the village. If I had known you were safe and not being escorted, I would have just went back to sleep."
"Well, you'll get to sleep now." the neko remarked.
Glancing at the neko, Kagome asked "Lilly, do you mind if I take over?"
Nodding in reply, the neko hanyou moved out of the way as the female dog hanyou began examining the damaged shoulder of the Quincy. Sending pink miko energy into her right hand, she softly touched his shoulder, being careful not to place too much pressure on it.
Feeling the pink energy touching his shoulder, Uryū quietly spoke up, asking "Young woman, your aura, it's that of a demon and a miko. Tell me, how is it that both energies exist within you? I can tell you're hanyou, but at the same time you use miko powers."
"Well, it's kind of a funny story I suppose." the dog hanyou said with a small chuckle ringing in her voice. "You see, back about six months ago, a group of mages known as The Thirteen, attacked myself and my other friends. They transformed all of us into hanyous with some kind of strange spell that would eventually make us slaves to them."
"Just like Lilly was done…" Sai quipped thoughtfully.
Nodding in response, the dog hanyou continued on, saying "Kurama was the mage that cast his spell on me. He changed me into a dog hanyou. With help, we tracked him down and others of The Thirteen and managed to kill them, thus releasing me from becoming a slave. Eventually, I was changed back into a human due to the leader of The Thirteen casting a spell, but thanks to Lilly making an unintentional wish on the Sacred Jewel, I became hanyou once more."
"That still doesn't explain your miko powers." Uryū bluntly remarked.
Slightly chuckling, Kagome nodded in reply. "True, I did kind of skip that part, now didn't I? Well, the reason I have miko powers is that I was a miko, sort of, before I became a hanyou. Ever since we defeated The Thirteen and I was returned to my hanyou form again, I have been training to become a true miko. There is a miko in the village that I live in who is getting a bit old, but she's been a dear friend to me. She agreed to train me in hopes that one day I could succeed her."
Digesting the hanyou's words, the Quincy nodded slightly. Accepting his response, the dog hanyou brow furrowed as she continued to examine his wound. "Your shoulder is in awful shape. What happened to it?"
"In my battle last night, my opponent used a technique that shattered the bone in my left shoulder."
"But I saw you using your left arm when we arrived." Kagome protested. "You even shot an arrow at us with it."
Softly chuckling, the Quincy replied "I was actually using a technique to control my arm like a puppet when I fired that arrow."
Absorbing his words, the dog hanyou nodded her head. Hearing her mate returning, she glanced up to see him not so gently set the bowl of water next to her. With that, he walked off and leapt up onto the roof of the hut and cast his eyes in a different direction while folding his arms over his chest.
Sighing at the behavior of her mate, Kagome returned her attention to the Quincy. A moment passed before she asked "You're a Quincy, aren't you?"
A bit taken back by her sudden words, Uryū responded "Yes, I am, but how did you know I was?"
"I've been studying to be a miko." Kagome reminded. "One thing Kaede taught me was the different types of people using holy powers. There are priests, priestesses, monks, and so on, but there are also special kinds of each. One special kind of priests are the Quincy. She told me that the Quincy can materialize weapons by using just energy in the air around them."
"Your teacher is very knowledgeable."
Smiling, the dog hanyou nodded her head, saying "She is that. I hope one day I can be as good as her."
"I'm sure you will be."
Without warning, the pink glow on Kagome's hand vanished. Reaching for the bowl of water and rag, she dipped the rag into the water and proceeded to begin washing around the wound.
While washing the wound, the dog hanyou calmly said "I'll repair as much damage as I can around your wound, but I can't heal it completely, that much I'm certain of. You may need to find someone who specializes in healing techniques, namely demon mages I would suspect."
"Would Orihime or Tsunade be able to fix the damage?" Lilly chimed in.
Brow furrowing, the dog hanyou quietly replied "I believe one or the other should be able to, but finding them is the issue."
Nodding in reply, the neko added "That's true. I forgot that both haven't been seen in a long time. I only wonder what both of them are doing now that The Thirteen are gone."
"No doubt Tsunade is still with Ryo." Kagome commented.
"Yeah, I figure she is. He seemed to be falling in love with her before those two left our group."
Pausing for a moment, the neko quietly added "I figure Orihime is chasing after Ichigo still yet."
"Probably." the dog hanyou quipped. Finishing with cleansing the wound, she began pouring out her miko powers over the wound, willing it to begin knitting the damaged muscle back together.
"I can heal the damage around your shoulder, but from what I can tell, unless we find you a better healer, you'll never be able to use your shoulder again."
Nodding his head slightly, the Quincy replied "I can live with it as is, I suppose. If I need it, I can use my Ransōtengai."
Speaking up, Lilly added "If I happen to find Orihime or Tsunade, I'll try to get them to come look at your shoulder."
"I'd appreciate that."
Nearly ten minutes passed before the dog hanyou finished her task. At last done, she tried to stand, only to wobble slightly. Quick to react, the neko helped her catch her balance.
"I guess I used more of my power than I thought I had." Kagome sheepishly commented.
Regaining her balance, the dog hanyou and the neko both reached out and helped the Quincy back to his own feet. Once there, the dog hanyou smiled and said "You should keep your left arm in a sling of some kind, that way you won't have it just hanging loosely down by your side."
With that said, she turned away, muttering "I better go check on Mr. Grumpy up there."
Watching the female dog hanyou walk off, Lilly softly smiled while feeling a small pang of sadness within herself. Noting the longing look of the neko, the Quincy softly spoke up, asking "You miss him, don't you?"
Mutely nodding, the neko quietly responded with "It's never the same when I'm separated from him. I guess that's due that we're lifetime mates, or maybe just due to the fact that I love Iya that much. Either one, it's hard to be apart from him for very long."
Letting out a small sigh, she added "You should go rest Uryū. I'm going to go into the hut and check on the others."
"Alright, I suppose I should."
Seeing the Quincy walk over to the side of the hut before them, the neko began moving towards the hut and entered into it.