Hello again everyone. So, life has been somewhat more stable. Last week, I spent every night helping out a coworker with a play he's directing. I'm the guy running the soundboard, which is pretty cool. The show was to the public on the 16th and 17th, plus it's coming back again this weekend for the 23rd and 24th. It went well last weekend, though I nearly played a track of music at the wrong time both nights. First 2 real screw ups on my part, though they never were heard. But anyways, the name of the play is Waiting for the Parade, which takes place during World War 2 in Canada. Plus, it's an all female cast, which made things interesting. Heh, been great working with this play. Hopefully things will work out and tomorrow night, we'll begin our last two nights without problems. At least that's my hope. On the job front, not much is really new. Our company seems to be heading away from the Air Force centrality since they cut our funding somewhat. I've yet to hear back from any of the jobs I put in for since I interviewed with the one and sent in my letter of contingency. I'm not too worried about it, so hopefully all will work out. Other than that, not much is really new.

Writing wise, things are moving along nicely. This is one of two of the last chapters, so I hope you all like it. Kind of sad this story is winding down, but it happens. Also, I've noticed when I went back in to look at some chapters that the breaks in sections is not appearing. It works at times, but then not others, which is a headache. I'm starting a new attempt at showing breaks, so watch for the following. They will be "000", a set of double lines, then "000". I'm hoping that'll fix this issue.

Thank you as always to Kattana for reviewing. Just getting to read your comments is always an inspiration for me to continue working on this story. I'd do it with or without it, but getting a review always inspires me to try a little harder and to keep things moving along. Plus it helps me verify if I'm even making any sense, lol. But again, thank you very much for your review.

As for the other non-existent reviews, eh, whatever. I love reading them, but it's very discouraging when you get nothing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not angry at anyone who reads this story, but it's kind of hard to gauge how I'm doing on this story. I had this issue with Reunion towards the end, though I did have at least 3 faithful reviewers to tell me what they thought. I know some people don't like to give out their thoughts, or find it too troublesome to review, but honestly, it's far more frustrating to an author to know that your story is getting hits, but no reviews. At least it is to me. I love the fact it's getting hits, but no reviews really kind of just says to me that either people don't like it or are too lazy to review. I used to take the stance of not reviewing, but since experiencing the feeling of what I am now, I've reviewed always on a story that I read. So please, to any reading my story, if you have comments on this story, please do let me know what you're thinking and review or PM me. I'd appreciate it greatly so that I'd know what I am or am not doing. Thanks. (/Gets down off soap box.\)

Now then, I think I'm done. I hope everyone likes this chapter. It is the next to last chapter, so next time, I'll let everyone know what I'm doing after this story ends. Thanks and enjoy!

Translations of attacks names:

Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shōha = Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave

Chapter 14

Staring in disbelief at his elder brother, Iya tried to form words within his mouth, only to find he could not speak due to the sinister, yet ominous aura of his brother flaring about in the courtyard.

"His aura is so damn heavy. I've never felt him releasing this much of it before. Damn, this is not going to end well."

"Iya."

Broken from his thoughts by the cold and stern tone of his brother's voice, the hanyou looked towards the Lord of the West and noted his cold amber eyes were boring into his own muddy brown ones. Feeling his blood running cold from the look he was being given, the hanyou swallowed hard as a trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face.

In a cool, monotone voice, the dog demon asked "Was it this demon that killed this Sesshomaru's mate?"

Unable to look his brother in the eye any longer, Iya weakly replied "It was."

"So, you are the Lord of the Western Lands?" Kisame questioned, effectively earning the attention of the hanyou, but not the dog demon.

Ignoring the shark demon completely, Sesshomaru slowly walked towards the fallen form of the ice demoness. His eyes were hard, cold, and solely focused on his mate's body.

Irked by the dog demon's behavior, the shark demon's body glowed with a dark red aura thanks to his sword and healed his wounds quickly. "I asked you a question."

Receiving no answer still, Kisame vanished in a flash and rematerialized in front of the dog demon to block his path. Sneering, he smugly said "I was the one that killed your wench, yet you say nothing. Did she mean so little to you?"

Remaining emotionless, the demon lord smoothly stated "Move aside."

"And if I don't?"

Without warning, the shark demon was flung across the courtyard and into the far wall by a mighty kick from the demon lord. Paying no heed to crashing sound in the distance, the silver haired demon moved onwards towards his mate's body.

Reaching it at last with no further interruptions, the dog demon stared down at ice demoness's still form. Taking in the appearance of her tattered and blood soaked clothing, as well as examining the large wound in her stomach, the dog demon bowed his head slightly so that his eyes could no longer be seen due to the shadow of his bangs.

In a whisper so low that Iya barely could hear it, the dog demon sorrowfully said "Forgive this Sesshomaru for not returning sooner."

Drawing the light blue cloth wrapped sword from it's sheath, the Lord of the West felt the blade pulsate while staring down at his mate. Slowly becoming visible to only him were several small gray skinned imp creatures with small horns on their heads, yellow corneas with black irises, many sharp fangs, and stubby legs. Each one had a makeshift wrap around their hips and carried a long scythe.

Feeling the blade he held pulsate once more, Sesshomaru swung the sword and cut down each of the imps, disintegrating all of them with a single stroke.

Watching on, Iya whispered in his mind "It never ceases to amaze me the power of Tenseiga. To those watching, it looks like he's merely swinging his sword through the air over a person and doing nothing. However, according to father, when Tenseiga sweeps through the air like that, it is actually cutting the pall-bearers that take away souls of the dead. Though Sesshomaru thought Tenseiga was weak initially, I'm certain he has accepted what father left him."

Sheathing his blade and then kneeling down next to his mate's body, the dog demon waited patiently till his mate's body started pulsating. A light blue demonic aura soon formed over the ice demoness's body, covering it completely from head to toe. Without warning, her chest began rising and falling in a rhythmic motion.

Eyes fluttering open, Yoshe's sky blue eyes looked up at her mate's face, but were unfocused. A few moments passed until she realized she was staring at the demon lord.

"Sesshomaru?"

Receiving a nod of confirmation, the demoness's eyes started filling up with tears. "I'm sorry that…"

Silenced by the dog demon placing his right index finger over her lips, the ice demoness stared into the amber eyes of her mate and saw warmth within his molten orbs.

"You have no reason to apologize, Yoshe. It is I who am sorry for not being here to protect you and our child. I shall never make the same mistake again."

Standing, Sesshomaru calmly spoke up without even looking at the hanyou. "Iya."

Appearing next to his brother in a flash, the hanyou replied "Yes, Sesshomaru?"

Turning his focus towards the shark demon, who was slowly clambering out of the rubble that had fallen on top of him from the impact, the demon lord coolly declared "Take Yoshe to safety. This Sesshomaru shall deal with him."

"You should know a few things before you take up this fight, Sesshomaru." Iya stated. "That sword of his, it can absorb demonic energy from whatever it touches. He has already sucked out nearly three-fourths of Ketsaiga's energy. Also, that sword is alive and has a mind of it's own, which means if you separate him from it, it can move itself back to him. As well, he uses the energy that his blade steals to heal his body. Finally, during the course of a battle, his strength increases while his opponent's decreases."

Pausing for a moment, the dog hanyou added "Taking him on may not be the best course of action at this moment."

"This Sesshomaru shall not stand down. Take Yoshe to safety."

Gasping in shock, the hanyou began to sharply counter, only to find his brother was no longer beside of him. Finding the dog demon walking towards the recovering shark demon at a casual pace, the hanyou let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"Stubborn old dog…"

Hearing the ice demoness struggling to stand, the hanyou was by her side immediately and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't move Yoshe. I'll take you to Lilly and Yumi."

Noting that his sister-in-law was ignoring his request, Iya quickly scooped her up into his arms bridal style, earning him a small 'eep.' Ignoring it, he turned away from the stronghold and sprinted off in the direction he had originally come from.

"Let me down Iya!" Yoshe protested. "I have to stay!"

Increasing his pace and holding on tight to the ice demoness, Iya shook his head, saying "I can't do that, Yoshe. Sesshomaru ordered me to take you away to safety."

"Damn it, I order you to let me go!"

Not receiving a reply to her demand, the demoness continued to struggle to free herself, but to no avail other than tiring herself out.

"Yoshe, he's not staying behind because he wants to, it's because he has to."

Looking up into the eyes of the dog hanyou, she noted the worried look he had. "He stayed behind to protect both his mate and child. In a lot of ways, it's like when our father chose to protect Izayoi and Inuyasha. Father didn't wish to remain behind, but for both Izayoi and Inuyasha to survive, he chose to remain behind."

Weakly smiling as he glanced down at her, he added "But I know Sesshomaru will be fine. He is the Western Lord after all, the strongest of the Four Lords."

"Besides, once I've taken you to where Lilly and Yumi are, I'll go back."

"I want to go back too…" Yoshe whispered.

Nodding, the hanyou answered "I know, but in your condition at the moment, you wouldn't be able to help. I can sense that you are still weak from that battle, even after Sesshomaru revived you with Tenseiga. To go back now would be suicide."

"Lilly will protect both Yumi and you, so in the meantime, I'll go help."

Seeing the demoness bite her lower lip and finally nod her head slightly, the hanyou turned his attention back ahead of himself. "You'd better not die on us, Sesshomaru. Stay alive till I get back."

000

000

Coming to a stop nearly twelve feet away from the blue skinned demon, Sesshomaru impassively eyed the demon momentarily.

Bringing himself to full height and placing his sword onto his right shoulder, Kisame grinned widely, saying "At last, a real fight in which I don't have to hold back."

"You shall die here, shark demon."

Sneering, the blue skinned demon smugly replied "So you're going to try and avenge that bitch of yours, huh? Good, that means your demonic energy will be more ferocious and should give Samehada an excellent meal."

Drawing his white wrapped sword from it's sheath faster than the blink of an eye as he closed the gap between himself and the shark demon, the demon lord was upon his enemy before his opponent could react. Disappearing, the dog demon reappeared several feet away from the shark demon with his blade extended away from his body and blood dripping from it. Shaking the blood off, he sheathed the sword and remained still for a few moments.

Blood suddenly sprayed into the air from a large and deep cut on the midsection of Kisame. A bit of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth and down his chin.

Suddenly glowing with a red demonic aura that stemmed from his sword, the shark demon turned around to face the dog demon's back. Grinning widely, he let out a loud boisterous laugh.

"So, is that the best you got?"

Vanishing once more and reappearing a short distance from the shark demon's backside, the dog demon slid his blade into it's sheath. The sound of the shark demon screaming out in pain again sounded through the air, along with blood splotching onto the ground, staining it crimson.

Turning to face the back of the demon lord, Kisame grinned widely again, saying "If that's the best you got then maybe you should quit while you're ahead."

Irked by the words of his opponent, the dog demon silently whirled around to find his opponent's sword had once more healed all his wounds. Charging forward and vanishing like before, he drew his sword and swung the blade at the head of the shark demon.

The sound of steel clashing sounded through the air, accompanied by a shower of sparks flying to the ground. Both blades were locked together, with the shark demon grinning madly at a seemingly surprised, but irked demon lord. Grinding their blades together, the two pushed against each other, trying to win dominance from the battle. A gurgling noise started filling the air, earning the attention of the dog demon. Observing it was the sword of his opponent, the demon lord leapt away instantly and put a safe distance of thirteen feet between them.

"That demonic energy of your blade was very tasty to Samehada. It's never had a meal quite like that."

Eyeing Bakusaiga momentarily as it suddenly pulsated, Sesshomaru emotionlessly replied "It will not taste this Sesshomaru's energy for much longer."

Raising his blade over his head, the dog demon swung it downwards quickly, saying "Be gone."

Flying away from the blade instantly was a surge of teal colored demonic energy. Ripping the ground apart as it neared the shark demon, it seemingly picked up speed and struck it's target with remarkable force.

Smirking at the incoming attack, the shark demon reflexively blocked the energy with his blade, but his eyes widened when he was suddenly thrown skidding backwards by the sheer power and force of the attack.

Exploding at last, the beam vanished, leaving behind only a thick plume of dust. Rocks and dirt fell to the ground, shrouding the results of the attack.

"Now that's the kind of power I expected from you, Lord Sesshomaru." Kisame's voice declared from within his shroud.

Gripping the hilt of Bakusaiga tightly, Sesshomaru watched as the dust settled, revealing the grinning shark demon. Narrowing his eyes at the unscathed demon, the demon lord couldn't help but notice the blade that his opponent had grown in length and had more girth than prior to his attack.

Chuckling with an amused look on his face, the shark demon added "I've never encountered demonic energy as powerful as yours, Lord Sesshomaru. Even that hanyou I fought prior to you did not have the power that you possess. Samehada is giddy for it's next taste."

Holding the blade horizontally before himself, he said "At this point, I don't see why I can't drop all the false pretenses and fight you at full power. It's been quite some time since I've released my zanpakutō."

"That is a zanpakutō?" Sesshomaru questioned with a raised brow.

Smirking madly with his many teeth showing, Kisame answered "Yes, Samehada is a zanpakutō."

Studying the living blade within the shark demon's hands for several moments, the demon lord responded calmly, saying "It is in it's Shikai form then."

Chuckling again, the shark demon shook his head. "No, it is not. It is actually in it's sealed form, but you are confusing the type of zanpakutō I have with the ones you are accustomed to seeing, like your mate's for example."

"There are two types of zanpakutō. The first type is the one with two releases, the Shikai and Bankai. Both amplify one's power, but that is all." Kisame explained. "However, the second type of zanpakutō has only one release, called the Resurrección. This type of release is different, as this type of zanpakutō is actually made from a seal placed on a demon's true power. Rather than transform into an animal form, a seal is created and a demon's true power is placed into a zanpakutō. When released, the demon takes on a similar appearance of their true self, but without the hassle of a large, cumbersome form."

"When I learned of this, I immediately had that type of zanpakutō made. It helped hold back some of my power, allowing me to enjoy a fight much longer, but also it allowed me to use more power from my true form. Zanpakutō of this type can take on any form and aren't limited to a katana or wakizashi, nor are they useless weapons with no powers of their own. Obviously by now, you've taken note of Samehada's power alone. I'm sure you're curious to what will happen when I unleash my blade's true power."

Closing his eye lids, the dog demon slowly reopened them, revealing cold, hard amber eyes. In an uninterested voice, he replied "This Sesshomaru cares not what form you take. The likes of you could never defeat this Sesshomaru."

Grinning wildly once more as he flipped his blade upside down before himself, Kisame smugly remarked "This will be fun. Tremble in fear before my Resurrección."

Tightening his hold on the hilt of his blade, the shark demon yelled out "Shred and devour, Samehada!"

The blade of the shark demon suddenly glowed brightly with it's dark red aura. In a flash, it engulfed the shark demon completely and shrouded him within it. An explosion thundered where the demon stood, but rather than smoke or dust filling the air, water swirled throughout it and seemingly protecting the shark demon.

Nearly half a minute went by before the water suddenly stopped swirling and fell harmlessly to the ground with a loud splash. Appearing from the water was not the familiar form of the shark demon, but what looked like an entirely new creature in itself. The demon's skin was now a darker shade of blue, and his skin looking far rougher than previously. A large shark fin ran down from the top of his head to just above his butt, with two large fins forming from the back of his shoulders down to right before his wrists. A long sinewy tail flowed out behind him, and only his pants and sandals remained of his clothing. His hands and feet were now clawed and webbed. The strangest change was his head that now appeared to be more shark like, with his numerous teeth gleaming in the sunlight. Three gills on each side of his neck sucked in fresh air as he grinned sinisterly.

"Afraid of my appearance, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Impassively, the dog demon raised his blade before himself and answered "Hardly. You have become no stronger in this Sesshomaru's eyes."

Sneering, Kisame answered "We'll see how you feel about that when you die. I'll give you one word of warning before we continue our fight. While I am in this form, I can directly absorb demonic energy from whatever makes contact with my body."

Flaring to life, the shark demon's sickly red demonic aura surrounded his body. Seemingly holding his breath, the demon's aura flared even more wildly, signifying his build up of demonic energy.

Without warning, he cried out "Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shōha!"

Upon opening his jaws, a massive amount of water began pouring out of the shark demon's mouth and swept across the area quickly. The water soon formed a massive dome of water, trapping both the shark demon and demon lord within itself. The dome itself was nearly half a mile in height and length and continued to swirl in a circle to maintain it's shape.

Surprised by his opponent's ability, the dog demon remained emotionless on the surface, but felt a touch of worry creeping into his mind. Glancing at his opponent through the water, he raised his blade high over his head and felt the demonic energy collecting within the blade. Swinging hard downwards, the sword unleashed a blast of teal colored energy towards the shark demon with incredible force.

Grinning as the blast slammed into his body, the shark demon let out a boisterous laugh while he was pushed backwards. Digging his clawed feet into the ground, he came to a stop and the teal energy was sucked into his body. His dark red demonic aura flared to life, revealing the power increase he had just received.

Irked by the shark demon's demeanor, the dog demon vanished in a flash. Reappearing directly in front of his opponent with his sword raised, the demon lord brought his blade down with tremendous force and attempted to cut the shark demon in half. Instead, he found he could not cut the tough skin of the shark demon and found that the energy of his blade was being siphoned out, prompting him to retreat a short distance.

Tightening his grip on Bakusaiga, Sesshomaru suddenly leapt forward again and slashed Kisame across the chest, only irked to find his blade sparking across the shark's skin but not cutting through it. Slashing several times, he found he could not cut through the shark demon's thick skin, irking him even further. Forced to push away, he ran his eyes over the demon's body, finding no vulnerabilities in his defenses.

"What, already done?"

Disappearing, the dog demon reappeared several feet above the shark demon with his whip flung down at his opponent. The whip managed to strike through the shark's tough skin, but before it could dig any further, it's energy was absorbed. Vanishing in a flash, the demon lord was behind his opponent before he could react. With all his strength, the dog demon plunged his blade straight through the back of the shark demon. Teal demonic energy flared to life from the tip of the blade that stuck out the shark's chest without warning, making the shark demon's eyes widen with shock.

A large explosion ensued, with the dog demon skidding away from the carnage. The water dome that had entrapped the two had dispersed, sending all of the water spraying in all directions. Gradually, it receded, revealing the dog demon visible while dust covered his opponent.

Panting heavily with water dripping to the ground from his body, the dog demon eyed the dust for any signs of the shark demon, but found none at first glance. Not letting his guard down, he moved his sword before his body, readying himself for the next offensive attack.

000

000

Ears swiveling and eyes focused on the explosion coming from the direction of the Western Stronghold, Iya clenched his fists tightly and coolly said "I'm going back. Sesshomaru may not admit it, but he might need my help in this fight."

Looking up from the ice demoness she had been examining, Lilly stood and dusted off her skirt and moved towards her mate. In a calm, soft tone, she smoothly said "Iya, perhaps you should stay back and let him handle this fight."

"I've got to go back. This demon, he's in a whole other league of his own, maybe even demon lord material. I'm certain the three of you will be fine here, especially since Uryū is not far away." the dog hanyou remarked.

"But …"

"Let him go, please."

Turning her attention to the ice demoness, who was weakly trying to sit up, the neko immediately returned to the demoness's side and fell back to her knees. Placing a clawed hand onto the demoness's chest, the neko firmly said "Yoshe, don't move. You need to rest."

"I want him to go, to make sure Sesshomaru doesn't do something foolish." Yoshe weakly muttered as she returned to laying on her back.

Releasing a heavy sigh as she turned her head towards her mate, the neko studied his back momentarily. Picking up the scent of his blood, she spotted a small trickle leaking to the ground and staining it in the crimson color. The blood came from his clenched hands where he was digging his claws into his palms.

"Your mind is made up already, regardless of what I say, isn't it, Iya."

A moment passed until Iya answered "He is my brother, Lilly. I can't leave him out there to fight alone. No matter what the danger is, I have to go to help him."

Hiding her eyes just beneath the shadows of her bangs, Lilly quietly replied "Then go, before it's too late."

"I'll be back, I promise. No matter what, if this doesn't end within the hour, I want you to go to Edo. Do you understand?"

Holding back the tears that desperately wished for release, Lilly meekly nodded her head and whispered "I do."

Unwilling to turn around due that he knew his resolve would melt away, the dog hanyou raced away from the group and back towards the distant building.

"Hold on, Sesshomaru. I'm coming!"

000

000

Staring at the cloud of dust for nearly a minute, the dog demon ran his senses over the area, search for any signs of his opponent. Picking up the sound of what sounded like the ground ripping asunder, the demon lord had less than a moment's notice when a shark fin appeared from the ground directly in front of him. Using his agility, he leapt into the air, just as the shark demon erupted from the ground at the place where the demon lord once stood, jaws snapping.

Grinning madly as he turned to face the dog demon, Kisame smartly said "You managed to dodge it at the last moment. Any longer and I'd have tore you to ribbons."

"Someone of your stature could never bring down this Sesshomaru."

Scoffing, the transformed shark demon remarked "I hate to say it, but that last attack of yours surprised me. I've never been run through while in my released form. My skin is just too thick for normal opponents to pierce."

Smirking again, he added "But you're not normal opponent. And the fact that you managed to get off an attack with your blade within me was even more shocking. A well calculated move, but it failed and I have only become stronger from it."

"It proved a theory of this Sesshomaru's." the dog demon tightly countered. "You can be harmed while in that form. Had you not begun regenerating when this Sesshomaru pierced through you, you would be dead."

Swinging his blade out to his right side so that the tip now pointed diagonally to the ground, Sesshomaru added "You cannot escape your fate. Death awaits you."

Letting out a loud boisterous laugh, Kisame evilly grinned, saying "I'm going to enjoy wiping that look off your face."

Building up tremendous power within his jaws, the shark demon cried out "Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shōha!"

Spraying water straight at the dog demon, the transformed shark felt a smirk tugging at his lips as the tremendous amount of water struck the dog demon. Quickly, the water started swirling around into a dome shape, forming his domain and prison for his opponent.

Unfazed by the change of the battleground, Sesshomaru stood his ground and eyed the shark demon momentarily. Watching the shark demon suddenly launch himself at his person, the dog demon readied his blade for the incoming attack. Crossing his blade with the right fin of his opponent, he pulled back his sword and attempted to plunge it into the shark demon's gut.

Reading the demon lord's move, Kisame easily evaded the attack and came about with his tail whipping to take off the head of the dog demon. Instead, his tail was caught and cut off near the base of it by the blade of his opponent. Howling in pain, the transformed shark distanced himself from the dog demon. Glowing with a dark red aura, his body quickly regenerated his tail in a flash. Giving it a few test flicks, he smirked evilly at the dog demon.

"Do you not understand that you cannot win!" Kisame demanded. "No matter what you do, I will absorb all of your power. Each time you strike me, I grow stronger. It is foolish to continue, but I won't complain, seeing how your power nourishes my strength."

Bringing Bakusaiga in front of his body, the demon lord summoned forth the teal colored demonic aura of his blade. His own body's red aura flared to life, causing the sphere of water to begin sloshing and sending some water flying from it to the ground. Moving at incredible speed towards the shark demon, he drew his blade up and readied to strike.

"Trying again, are you?"

Slamming his blade against the left shoulder of the shark demon, the dog demon struck out at the same time with his left hand and sank his claws into the right shoulder of his opponent.

Eyes widening in surprise, Kisame mumbled "What are you…"

"You wanted this Sesshomaru's power, but you will not be able to absorb it all."

Flaring even higher, the demonic auras of both the dog demon and his sword grew even larger than the start of his attack.

Greedily, the shark demon's body devoured the demonic energy that was touching him. Letting out a loud barking laugh, he sneered and smugly said "You've finally gone insane."

Coldly smirking, the demon lord did not reply verbally. As an alternative, he increased his demonic aura, along with the power pouring out from Bakusaiga.

000

000

Picking up speed the moment he sensed his brother's aura flaring wildly, Iya couldn't help but feel his mind moving at overdrive with worry.

"What in the hell are you thinking, Sesshomaru! I told you that he absorbs demonic energy, but instead of fighting conservatively and at a distance, you're going all out with an attack that's sure to drain you of all your power. Damn it, are you trying to die!"

Seeing the Western Stronghold coming into view, along with the large water dome sloshing about near it, the dog hanyou's right hand reflexively went for his sword's hilt.

"Sesshomaru, I don't know why you're attacking like you are, but I won't let you die. No matter what, I won't let that happen!"

Increasing his speed as he drew his sword and transformed it, the hanyou summoned up as much power as he could within Ketsaiga.

000

000

"How long! How long can this continue!" Kisame desperately questioned aloud.

Smirking, the demon lord poured out even more demonic energy from both his body and blade, causing the water surrounding the pair to begin swirling even faster. Some of the water was even beginning to heat up from the intense power that the dog demon was releasing.

Without warning, the muscles within the shark demon's back and arms started bubbling up sporadically, as if they were ready to burst at the seams.

"You appear to be full." Sesshomaru smugly stated. "Tell this Sesshomaru, did you not say you could absorb every last bit of this Sesshomaru's power, or were you lying?"

Eyes fully wide, the shark demon grit his teeth, yelling out "I can't… I can't absorb! I can't do it!"

The water surrounding the pair suddenly dispersed, with all of it dropping to the ground and spreading across the grounds of the stronghold and washing over anything it came across.

Feeling his muscles about to rip apart, Kisame leapt backwards several feet. Panting heavily, he quickly realized his body was still on the edge of exploding. Glowing with a brilliant dark red aura, he released a primitive roar that filled the air for several miles. The glow intensified till his body could no longer be seen.

The glow soon died down, revealing the shark demon had reverted to his more human like appearance. He was heavily panting with sweat pouring off of his body. Laying next to him on the ground squealing loudly was his sword. Sickly red demonic aura oozed from it while it's body seemed to fluctuate. One moment, it grew more than triple it's original size, the next it returned to it's original gorged size.

Staring down at his glowing blade, the shark demon's eyes were filled with shock as the sword seemed to suddenly grow nearly five times it's original size. Cracks started forming in the metallic blade with sickly red energy pouring from them.

All at once, the blade exploded, sending a massive fireball of demonic energy spraying across the field and engulfing the pair of demons.

Seeing the fireball, Iya came to a skidding stop about two hundred yards away from the explosion. Panting lightly, he quickly reached out with all of his senses in an attempt to locate his brother or the shark demon. Unable to pinpoint either, he vigilantly waited as the energy slowly died down. Able to once more sense his brother and his opponent, the hanyou quickly sprinted forward towards his brother's side.

"Sesshomaru, are you alright?"

Grunting to his brother, the demon lord smoothly replied "This Sesshomaru is unharmed."

Running his eyes over his brother's form briefly, the hanyou mutely nodded and turned his attention across the battlefield and scanned the shark demon for injury.

Panting heavily, the shark demon was slumped forward with his hands resting on his torn and tattered pants. Burns covered portions of his arms and torso, along with a few on his cheeks. Nothing but the hilt of his sword remained laying on the ground next to him.

"Looks like you were right." Kisame muttered with a small grin on his face. "I couldn't absorb all of your power. Heh, I'm disappointed that I lost this fight, but proud of the fact it was the best fight of my life. You were the true opponent I've searched for."

Not saying the word, the dog demon suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye and appeared directly before the shark demon with his sword drawn back. Without hesitation, he swung his blade through the air, leaving only the sound of the sword whistling through the breeze.

A moment passed before the shark demon's head rolled off of his shoulders and onto the ground with a sickening thud. Blood spurted from his neck and his body fell forward and spattered blood.

Shaking the blood off of his sword, the dog demon silently sheathed the powerful blade, only to draw his other sword.

Frowning, Iya began to ask what the demon lord intended to do, when realization dawned on him. "I pity Kisame. Not only will he be felled by Sesshomaru once, but twice. I suppose it is the only real punishment Sesshomaru could come up with for having killed Yoshe."

Feeling the blade in his clawed hand pulsate, the dog demon ran his eyes over the body of the shark demon momentarily. His eyes alone spotted the small gray imp like creatures crowding around the body of the fallen shark demon. Once more feeling his blade pulsate, he silently swung the blade through the air, slashing cleaving through all of the small creatures in a single sweep.

Sheathing Tenseiga and drawing Bakusaiga, Sesshomaru quietly watched as the body of Kisame healed it's wounds and his head sprouted out from his severed neck. Pulsating, the shark demon took a deep breath of air, revealing he was indeed resurrected.

Eyes snapping open, Kisame pushed his body up off of the ground and onto his hands and knees before settling back onto his knees. Looking up at the dog demon, whose amber eyes bored into his own coal ones, the shark demon frowned slightly.

"Why am I alive?"

"Silence." Sesshomaru icily declared. "Tell this Sesshomaru who sent you here."

Reaching up and scratching the back of his head, the shark demon grunted out "No one sent me here. I simply found out you were the strongest demon lord and I wanted to test my skills against you."

Remaining silent momentarily, the dog demon coldly replied "You lie. Who told you where to find this Sesshomaru?"

"Like I have anything to hide. I wanted a good fight and I got one. Why the hell are you …"

Unable to finish his sentence due that his head was sliced cleanly from his shoulders once again, the body of the shark demon collapsed onto the ground. Swinging his blade away from his body and flicking the blood onto the ground, the dog demon silently sheathed his blade and turned towards his brother.

"Did he tell you anything of whom sent you?"

Receiving a mute no from his brother, the demon lord eyed him. At last, he said "This Sesshomaru trusts you left his mate well protected."

"Lilly is watching over both Yoshe and Yumi." Iya curtly answered with an annoyed look on his face. "Uryū is also close to their location with Yukio, though I doubt Yukio would have been of any help in protecting them since he is injured also."

Nodding his head, the dog demon slowly walked in the direction the dog hanyou had traveled in with his nose inhaling the scents of the area. Knowing where his brother was going, the hanyou fell in step with his brother.

000

000

Staring up at the nearly full moon shining in the sky, Iya let out a soft sigh and slid his eyes shut as he leaned against the cool wall. Ears swiveling the moment he heard a door opening and closing, he sniffed the air, finding his brother's scent was approaching him.

"How is Yoshe doing?"

Stopping a few feet away from his brother, Sesshomaru evenly answered "She is still weak, but will recover within the next few days. What of Yukio?"

Opening his muddy brown eyes, the hanyou pushed off from the wall and turned to face his brother. Muddy brown met amber momentarily before the hanyou nonchalantly replied "Kiyomi told me that he'll make a full recovery within a day or two. Apparently the wound wasn't as bad as she feared at first glance. She wants him to stay in bed for the remainder of tonight and not be up until after noon tomorrow."

"If he is anything like his father, he will disregard that order." the demon lord smartly remarked.

Rolling his eyes, Iya muttered "Yeah, you're a riot, Sesshomaru."

"What of Ketsaiga? Is it recovering it's lost energy?"

Letting out a ragged sigh as he ran a clawed hand through his loose hair, the hanyou retorted "It is slowly regaining it's lost strength."

Pulling his sword from it's sheath and bringing it before himself so that the moonlight reflected in the finely polished blade, Iya solemnly said "I was concerned that it wouldn't be able to recover due to the amount of energy sucked from it. Kisame's sword took nearly three-fourths of Ketsaiga's energy. I've burned up most of it's energy before, but never had it stolen."

"Ever since Samehada was destroyed, Ketsaiga has been reclaiming it's lost energy. I'm guessing that either Ketsaiga is replenishing it's own energy on it's own or it's absorbing the lost energy from the air."

Sheathing the blade, the hanyou added "Either one is good enough."

Pausing for a moment, the dog hanyou asked "What about Bakusaiga? Is it recovering?"

"This Sesshomaru's sword has already recovered."

Nodding his head, the hanyou replied "I should have guessed."

"Indeed."

Turning away, the dog demon elegantly began moving towards the doorway that led back into the main building. Stopping a few feet from the door, he calmly said over his shoulder "We shall meet with Yukio and the Quincy in the morning."

Receiving a grunt of acknowledgement, the demon lord slipped back into the building, leaving the hanyou alone to stare at the night sky.

"I could have lost Ketsaiga forever today. Is that something I could have lived with?"

Lightly chuckling at his musings, Iya shook his head and sadly smiled. "No, I would never have let Ketsaiga die. I could never let any harm befall it. I protect it with my life. Ketsaiga isn't just a sword that I wield, it has become a part of me and I a part of it."

Sensing a familiar demonic aura moving in his direction, the hanyou continued to examine the sky and act aloof. Careful not to reveal he was aware of who was watching him, the dog hanyou silently began moving along the walls of the stronghold towards the darker shadows.

Masking his scent and aura quickly, the dog hanyou couldn't help but smirk as he drifted deeper into the shadows. A few moments passed until the one searching for him revealed herself.

Slipping out of the shadows, he moved up behind his pursuer and wrapped them in a tight embrace from behind. Hearing a small gasp of surprise, he ground his hips against the rear of the figure, earning him a soft moan.

"Sneaking around, eh Lilly?" Iya purred into the neko's ear.

Wrapping her tail around the waist of her mate, Lilly softly murmured "Something like that."

Nipping at her neck with butterfly kisses, the dog hanyou huskily whispered "Perhaps I should punish you for sneaking up on your mate. It's not nice to stalk a dog demon, after all."

Spinning around and looping her arms around her mate's neck, the neko pulled in close to his face so that his breath was hitting her face directly. Moving closer until her lips were mere inches from his own, she chastely murmured "Hanyou."

000

000

"Damn…"

Staring at his father indifferently, Yukio couldn't help but internally share his father's word and attitude on the situation he had just explained to the group. Glancing around the room, he noted his elder uncle was digesting his words silently while his father was now up pacing by the window. Near him, his traveling companion, Uryū remained silent.

Placing his right hand on his forehead, Iya calmed himself the best he could before removing his hand and turning towards his son once more. "Do they really intend to serve under the Eastern Lands?"

Letting out a bit of a disgruntled sigh, the white haired hanyou ran a clawed hand through his long hair and grunted out "I hope not. If Sanosuke or Kenji has their way, they won't lift a claw to help the Eastern Lands."

"I can't even begin to understand the reasoning behind allying themselves with the Eastern Lands." Iya grumbled. "The goal of The Thirteen was always to destroy the Four Lands, so for The Army of The Thirteen to make this kind of move is surprising, to say at the least."

Silence enveloped the room momentarily until Yukio spoke up again, saying "This alliance was pushed upon them by the newest member of the tri-headed leaders, Chikako Senju. Her thinking is to lull their enemy into a feeling of safety and security so that in the end, they can use that to their advantage."

"But I don't believe that will happen. In fact, I'm almost certain Lord Sasuke knows of what The Army of The Thirteen plans of already. This is due that Chikako wishes to win his favor and no doubt has tried to use her beauty and other unsightly tricks to bed him. I do not doubt for a moment that she has probably told him what the village intends to do in due time. It's just a question of what Lord Sasuke intends to do about it that remains."

"He will destroy them." Sesshomaru blandly stated. "Lord Sasuke no doubt wishes to dispose of them as quickly and discretely as possible."

Resting a hand underneath of his chin, Iya calmly added "No doubt that Lord Sasuke will do what he can with them. I figure he anticipates them trying to take his life, but would this Chikako even attempt to do so?"

"She is nothing more than a whore looking for more power." Yukio tersely answered. "Chikako once tried to win my favor, but I refused her due that I could not stand her. She only wanted the power I could grant her and nothing more. I saw through her and knew her true intentions and had no desire to give her anything, so she stopped trying to work her way into my bed."

Letting out a long sigh, the black haired dog hanyou muttered "This does not bode well."

An uncomfortable silence filled the air momentarily until the Quincy spoke up. "Could these incidents be connected? You said that both the East and South intruded upon the Western Lands. No more than a few weeks later, Iya, you and Lilly were attacked. Three months later, the Western Stronghold was attacked, with the attacker looking for Lord Sesshomaru."

"There is a problem with connecting them." Iya retorted. "The leader of the group that attacked Lilly and myself admitted who sent her and her group to assassinate us. It was not either the Southern or Eastern Lands. As for Kisame's attack, he seemed only to want to test his strength, though how he knew who to come after is another mystery."

"And where." Sesshomaru added.

Taking a deep breath as he rubbed his temples gently, the elder hanyou commented "Things are so clouded at this moment. We cannot jump to conclusions."

"Indeed, but we must remain vigilant." the demon lord stated.