Hey everyone. Well, I'm semi-on time this round for a chapter. Ok, I'm a few days off, but it's better than before, I suppose. Anyways, news with me, hmm, well, there is a bit. My one friend/coworker left his position last week for a job closer to where he grew up, which leaves me a bit sad. I'll miss him but I know it'll work out, hopefully. Work is about the same and leaves me still pondering my future. We're set through September of next year, which isn't the greatest motivation for me. It makes me feel a bit better, but not entirely. I am still keeping my eyes open for anything that may come along, just in case. Other than that, my mate and I are preparing for Thanksgiving this week. Ugh, 4 dinners to go through, lol. We have my step mom's family Monday, my dad's side Thursday, my mate's family Friday, and lastly my mom's side Saturday. Thankfully we won't have turkey Saturday, so at least there is one good thing. By the way, having a sinus infection sucks. I got it last week and it dragged on. I'm off to the doctor this afternoon to take care of it, once and for all, with antibiotics. Ah yes, one good thing that happened over the weekend was Tony Stewart won the Sprint Cup by winning the race. I'm sure no one cares about Nascar, but it's something I like and he is my favorite driver, so I thought I'd just pass it along, lol. That about sums up things for me.

Writing wise, as I said before, a bit behind, but not terribly bad. I was nearly done last week, but just didn't quite finish over the weekend. We had company and I was sick, so I didn't feel much like writing. However, I do have some time to do it this week, so with any luck, I'll get some done. I hope...

No reviews this time, which kind of surprised me, but oh well. I think 's alert system is on the fritz again since my mate didn't even get an alert that I had updated last chapter. Oh well, it happens. Lovely alerts system... I swear, I'm almost ready to go to PM only alerts again just to make sure the damn things get through.

At any rate, thanks to all my readers. I hope all of you have a great turkey day. I'll be drowning in gravy by then, lol. Enjoy!

Chapter 28

Reaching out with his weapon extended to piece through the hanyou's head, Aikamaru sneered but suddenly lost his look when the half demon flashed away in awkward fashion.

Watching the dog hanyou skidding to a stop several yards away and seeing he was trying to get his bearings, the demon lord frowned. "You instinctively dodged. Even though you are blind, you still refuse to submit."

"In that case, I'll obliterate you! Cero Oscuras!"

Black and purple demonic energy immediately formed a small sphere at the tips of the pike of the demon lord. Spinning around to point the trident at his foe, the demon lord yelled "DODGE THIS!"

Transforming, the sphere widened and changed over into a beam of high density black and purple demonic energy. The beam shot straight towards the blinded hanyou.

In a flash, the attack landed a direct blow on it's target. Watching the blast score a hit, the demon lord burst out into loud insanity filled laughter.

"I'VE WON! AFTER ALL THAT HIGH AND MIGHTY TALK, YOU HAVE AT LONG LAST DIED, HALF BREED! LET THIS BE A TESTAMENT THAT NO ONE CAN DEFEAT THE LORD OF THE SOUTH, AIKAMARU!"

Slowly clearing, the smoke and dust from the explosion settled and revealed the destruction that had befallen the roof of the keep. A large gaping hole centered around where the beam had travelled and ripped through a few levels.

With the last of the dust and smoke clearing, a figure became visible to the water demon. His laughter immediately stopped as he could only help but gasp.

Standing still with his left arm stretched out and holding the black sheath that belonged to Ketsaiga was Iya. His body was intact, clothing unchanged, and no further wounds seemed to have been inflicted upon his body from the explosion. Short pants escaped his lips while he slightly whimpered from the effects of the burns on his face.

"You... you..." the demon lord started but stopped repeated. "... you should be dead!"

"I would have if not for this sheath. Like Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga, Ketsaiga's sheath has the ability to create a barrier that can withstand almost any attack at least once. That is why I live."

Still panting, the dog hanyou lowered his left arm gradually but held tightly onto the sheath within his grasp. Grunting lightly, he shifted his stance and held his scabbard up again and softly whispered "Ketsaiga, come."

Reacting to it's master's command, the icy halberd rose up from the ground and shot like an arrow towards the hanyou. Holding out his right hand, he expertly caught the blade.

"Impossible..." Aikamaru growled. "You're blind! You couldn't possibly of caught your sword!"

Wordlessly placing the sheath back into his obi, the blind hanyou remarked "Not really. Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't fight. True, you've weakened me by one sense, but there are ways of fighting without sight."

"When I was trained by my father, he taught me not to rely on sight alone. Sometimes sight can fail you, such as when an opponent uses illusions. My father knew this, so he taught me how to fight using my other senses. If one should fail, you have others. In the end, I learned how to take on an opponent without sight."

"Impossible!" the demon lord roared in response. "You cannot defeat me! Without your sight, you will lose this battle!"

"I won't die." Iya retorted in a stern tone. "I have far too many people waiting on me that I cannot afford to lose my life."

Growing angrier with each word spoken to him, Aikamaru snarled back "A mere half breed, mocking me and believing he is fighting with me on even ground! I will not have it!"

"Believe what you want, Lord Aikamaru. You may have taken my eyesight, however, that leaves me with five very sharp senses."

Pointing the blade of his sword at the demon lord, he added "You mock humans and hanyous, claiming we're weaker. Perhaps in some senses we are. However, the measure of our heart's strength is something you fail to take notice of. Time and time again, humans rise up to the challenge to protect that which is important to them. Hanyous are part human, thus we have the same indomitable drive to do the same. Even some demons have learned from humans and found that they too can do the same."

"Yet you, who believes only in his own strength, cannot ever best someone like me. It is for that reason you will lose this battle."

Holding his weapon out to his right side so that it pointed away, Iya placed his left hand on the back of the pommel while readjusting his grip on the upper part of it just below the guard. Taking a few steps towards where he knew the demon lord stood, he quietly said "Come."

Infuriated even further, the Lord of the South hurtled towards the dog hanyou headlong. The two crossed blades as before, with the sound of their clashing filling the air with the ringing of steel. Sparks sprayed to the ground from the intensity of the two steel weapons clashing.

Several high speed slashes proceeded from the demon lord. Each time, the dog hanyou was able to parry the attacks and even added a few counterattacks of his own into the mix.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" the demon lord exclaimed as his cheek received a gash from the hanyou's sword. Retaliating with a series of rapid slashes meant to cut the dog hanyou down, he roared "HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN! I AM THE LORD OF THE SOUTHERN LANDS!"

Pushed back and receiving another cut on his right shoulder from a winded hanyou, the demon lord screamed "HOW CAN A MERE BLIND HALF BREED, A BEING THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST, BE DOING THIS!"

"WIND SLASH!"

The blast of white demonic energy easily tore the body of the demon lord apart, sending water spewing in different directions. Water drenched the tiles of the roof, however, it did not soak in as the water began pooling back into a large puddle.

Panting heavily, Iya drew Ketsaiga up over his head, causing the icy steam pouring off of it to increase once more. "COLD WAVE!" he screamed as he brought the blade downwards.

A blast of cold demonic energy shot forward instantly and froze the pooling water.

"Take this! Wind Slash!"

Another burst of white demonic energy roared across the keep and slammed hard into the large portion of ice. Hunks of ice were sent flying through the air and rained down in across the floor of the top of the keep.

Falling to one knee and digging Ketsaiga into the ground to help steady himself, Iya felt his body starting to tremble. Sweat soaked his black kimono and his hair, revealing the extent of how much exertion he had been putting out from the battle.

"Evennowhethatmuchpowerleft.I'mrunninglowandcan'tcontinuetofightatthisleveltoomuchlonger.IguessIhavebutonechoiceleft...Icanonlyhopethatitsucceedsthistime."

Images of his friends and family filled the dog hanyou's mind and started appearing, reminding him how much he had on the line. First his elder brother, then his younger. His long time comrade and partner who helped him fight The Thirteen. More images of his sister-in-laws formed, along with the sight of his nieces and nephews. The mate of his partner appeared along side of the group. Numerous others appeared as well, many whom he had known for years.

The last to form was his mate. Her jade eyes stared straight at him, revealing all the love she had reserved for him alone. A smile on her face and a trusting gleam made him realize just how much she loved, trusted, and believed in him.

Forcing himself to his feet, the dog hanyou winced and nearly doubled over from the pain. His body protested from the action, however slowly he rose back up.

Feeling his sword pulsate, Iya tightened his grip on his sword. "Ketsaiga,Ineedyourhelp.Onlyyoucanhelpmeperformthislastmove.Regardlessoftheoutcome,thiswillbeourlastattackagainstLordAikamaru."

Sensing a pulsation that seemed to call back to him, the dog hanyou nodded his head. Holding the blade directly in front of himself, he summoned forth his light blue demonic aura and Ketsaiga's as well.

The very air of the keep seemed to chill drastically compared to before. Swirling ice, snow, and wind rounded the blade of the sword with great intensity.

At the same time, the chunks of ice that had been blown about the roof of the keep had finally melted and were pooling back into a large puddle. Rising up gradually, the body of the water demon was reconstituted with him panting heavily from the blows he had received. Seeing the dog hanyou standing some distance away with his aura flaring, he ground his teeth and smashed his foot into the floor of the keep, effectively destroying some of the tiles in it.

"Lord Aikamaru, this is the end. I'll end this in an instant." Iya declared.

Lightly chuckling with a sneer spread on his face, Aikamaru retorted "Foolish half breed, I will gladly take your pathetic life from you. Let's finish this."

The demon lord's sickly purple aura flared to life instantly and began blazing brightly. His pike was coated in the glow, giving it an even more eerie look. A low growl vibrated within his throat as his aura seemed to intensify further.

Wordlessly, the two suddenly charged one another. The icy wind around the ice sword seemed to blow about awkwardly and emitted a wave of coldness that chilled the very air. At the same time, the water trident gave off the perfect picture of darkness as the sickly purple aura swirled around it rapidly.

About to reach his foe for the last time, Iya cried out "Kōri no shōshitsu!"

The very words of the hanyou made the icy blade's light blue aura transform into a blinding white light that made the demon lord hesitate for a moment.

That moment was all the dog hanyou needed for an opening and slashed out at the demon across the chest. The blow connected just briefly, however, this caused a brilliant flash of white to blanket the Southern Keep.

000

000

Witnessing the blinding light off in the distance, Orihime came to a skidding stop and shielded her vision best she could without dropping an unconscious Ichigo from her back.

"What the hell is this light!" she gritted out as she squatted down onto the ground and gently let the unconscious form of her mate roll off. "It's so intense!"

Reaching out with her senses as she squinted in the direction of the burst, her eyes widened a fraction while a small gasp came from her lips. "Iya..."

Hearing her mate whimper slightly, she glanced down at him to see Ichigo's brow was furrowed and he seemed to be cringing. "Canhesensethat?"

Returning her vision towards the direction of the now dying light, she clasped her hands together but couldn't help but let out another gasp of surprise. The air had suddenly chilled and snow was starting to blow into where she was.

"Be alright, please."

000

000

Staring up at the roof of the keep in awe, many of the Western and Northern soldiers couldn't help but marvel at the intense light and power they felt coming from it. Even the soldier of the Southern Lands seemed awestruck at light.

Looking up at the keep himself, the Lord of the West's lips twitched into a smile.

"Lord Sesshomaru, that light, could it be Lord Iya?" Takahashi questioned.

Remaining silent for a few more moments, the demon lord at long last replied "That is this Sesshomaru's brother."

"Amazing..." the hawk demon remarked in a one word answer.

The pair of demons suddenly felt the air chill as snow began to fall to the ground at an alarming rate, to the point an inch was on within a few seconds. At the same time, ice coated the massive stone structure, incasing it within a few inches thick of the frozen water.

"General Takahashi, take command of the battle here. This Sesshomaru shall return soon." the demon lord stated as he sheathed his weapon and took to the air.

"Hai, Lord Sesshomaru."

000

000

With their backs to one another, the dog hanyou and the demon lord stood perfectly still as their tired bodies trembled. Heavy puffs of air poured from each mouths, revealing just how cold the air was.

The ground was covered in nearly six inches of ice that was steaming due to the difference in air temperature. Snow fell from the sky and coated the ground in a few inches quickly and continued to pour down.

Iya gritted his teeth as his body begged him to give into the tiredness that had been plaguing him for some time. He still refused, however, his legs disobeyed his will and started to give out. In a sudden movement, he stabbed Ketsaiga through the ice covering the roof. Resting some of his weight on the blade, he felt his body trying to drag him into the darkness of unconsciousness, yet he resisted.

Without warning, loud laughter filled the air. Turning to face the hanyou, Aikamaru smugly declared "That was pointless attack. You have lost, half breed."

"Have I?" Iya retorted in a bored tone. Carefully, he repositioned his body so that he faced the demon lord. Lifting a clawed hand up while using the other to steady himself, the hanyou pointed at the demon lord and asked "Do you really think my last attack did nothing?"

About to answer, the demon lord suddenly felt an odd sensation within his body. Sprouting suddenly from the wound the hanyou had inflicted upon him were ice crystals. Similarly, the remainder of his body became difficult to move much like how when frozen.

"A time lapsed attack? That was your big plan? Don't make me laugh. You know as well as I do that I can just thaw out. Let me remind you, fool!"

Clenching his free hand, the demon lord attempted to accelerate the molecules within his body like normally to heat himself up. To his great surprise, nothing happened. He found they would not move at all, leaving his body to continue icing over. A gasp escaped his mouth when his eyes traveled down to his chest to find that some of the ice crystals broke off and floated away into the air. The wound seemed to grow deeper but his body did not regenerate.

"What the ..." he growled. Throwing an angry glare at the half demon, he snarled out "What have you done to me!"

Reversing Ketsaiga back to it's smaller katana form and returning it to it's sheath, Iya coolly replied "Kōri no shōshitsu, an attack I developed in preparation for the final battle here in the South. To put it simply, it slowly freezes whatever my target is from the inside out, but differently than Cold Wave or my other attacks. That ice gradually freezes a target from the inside out."

"However, there is a catch. Whatever is frozen by my attack cannot exist outside of severely cold temperatures. The current air temperature here in the Southern Lands is far too warm, so the ice is seemingly vanishing without a trace. That is why my attack is called Kōri no shōshitsu. The one struck by this attack will simply vanish once and for all."

"No, no, no! I will not die at the hands of some weakling half breed!" Aikamaru roared as he tried to move his body. Finding he had some movement, he struggled towards the hanyou, only to suddenly feel his left leg become completely useless. Trying to force movement, he gasped in shock when the leg broke off and fell to the ground as a frozen chunk of ice. The ice instantly shattered and vaporized back into the air.

"This is the end, Lord Aikamaru." Iya quietly stated.

Shaking his head rapidly and trying to hobble towards his foe by using his pike as a crutch, the demon lord roared "I will not be humiliated by a worthless piece of trash! I am the Lord of the Southern Lands! No half breed piece of trash will kill me! I am the supreme demon of these lands and cannot be bested by you!"

"You still refuse to accept reality." the dog hanyou tiredly remarked. "Even now, with your life coming to an end, you refuse to acknowledge that you have lost. It is truly sad the kind of death you are experiencing, Lord Aikamaru."

"Do not talk down to me, trash!" Aikamaru screamed as he managed to inch closer. Without warning, his left arm broke off and fell to the ground. It shattered into millions of pieces before being blown away by a small gust of wind. The remainder of his body was slowly breaking down as well, with the pieces being swept away.

"I pity you, Lord Aikamaru."

Grinding his teeth, the demon lord spat out "I DO NOT NEED YOU SYMPATHY, HALF BREED!"

Taking a few steps forward before coming to a halt four feet from the Lord of the South, the dog hanyou quietly said "A shame that you have yet to understand the truth that you were presented with."

"And what truth is that!"

"It's the truth that stares you in the face, Lord Aikamaru." the hanyou politely said. "All of these years you boasted about your strength that no one could ever match you nor even have a chance at defeating yourself in combat. You killed any who stood in your way and stole from those that were weaker than you. Yet here you are at the end of your life with nothing to show for it."

"It is a sad existence for those that when they die will leave behind no legacy. You have no mate, no heir, no one to remember you. Your rule has brought nothing to these lands but pain and suffering. When you die, no one will miss you because of how you treated your subjects. That in itself is terrible enough."

A deep, throaty growl erupted from the demon lord's throat as he lunged forward with his weapon in full swing. Before it could even reach the hanyou's body, his hand separated from his wrist and went sailing with his weapon in tow. The two fell to the ground and shattered on impact. A small gust of wind was all it took to send the remains flying away into nothingness.

Aikamaru's impulsive attack had far more reaching consequences. The abrupt movement caused his remaining leg to buckle and sever. His torso fell to the ground and broke him clean in half with many jagged pieces of ice scattering along the roof. Large portions of his body faded away into the wind while only his chest and head remained.

"How humiliating..." he muttered as he closed his light blue eyes. Hearing footsteps, his eyes opened to find the hanyou standing over him and staring down at him. Throwing one last glare up as he felt the darkness dragging him away from the world of the living, the demon lord darkly said "I will see you in Hell, half breed."

The last of the proud Lord of the South vanished little by little in the blink of an eye as a gentle breeze swept across the roof of the keep.

"It's over..." Iya whispered. The stress that had been held within his body melted away as he let a small smile escape. Picking up a new sound, his ears swiveled in the direction of the edge of the keep where the courtyard would lie. The soaring sound soon ended and the sound of someone landing on the keep filled his ears. Sniffing the air to determine the identity of his new companion, the dog hanyou immediately figured out whom had joined him.

At a unhurried pace, the Lord of the Western Lands approached his brother. The breeze blew his top's long flowing sleeves about, causing a whipping sound. His steps were soft as the snow beneath them crunched.

Only a few feet from his brother, the dog demon stared at the feet of the hanyou to find only a few scraps of ice particles blowing about.

"This Sesshomaru congratulates you, brother."

Turning towards his elder brother slowly, Iya slightly smiled and replied "Thanks Sesshomaru."

"Your eyes?"

"Oh, he threw some boiling water in my face. I can't see a thing at the moment. I'm hoping my body can heal them, or at worst I could have Orihime heal me." Iya explained.

"Hn." was the only one word response.

Raising his head up towards the sky, the dog hanyou softly said "I suppose we need to finish cleaning up."

"You have done enough, Iya. Worry not about anything else. Rest for now." Sesshomaru strongly stated. "This Sesshomaru has one last thing he must do for his troops."

Confused at his brother's words, the hanyou suddenly felt himself starting to feel the effects of the battle and the fatigue his body had been fighting off was hitting him at full force. Too tired to care any longer, he sank to his knees and laid down. The last thing he remembered as the darkness took him was the sound of his brother coming to his side and the feeling of two arms picking him up.

000

000

"Is that all of them?"

"Hai Lord Sesshomaru. We have collected all the bodies that we could identify as our troops." a tired General Kimura replied. He had numerous gashes in his armor, along with some that had penetrated it and drawn his fire demon blood.

Nodding his head and closing his eyes momentarily, Sesshomaru opened his amber eyes and reached out with his right hand to the blue-laced sword in his obi. The elegant dog demon slowly drew the blade out of it's black sheath and soon had it fully out. Swinging it to his right side, he brought the blade up to in front of his face. A pulsation reverberated throughout the sword that was visible only to the dog demon. Again, the blade pulsated as the demon lord looked towards the rows of dead soldiers that had been under his command.

Weak looking gray skinned imps that were translucent and invisible appeared into the demon lord's vision. The creatures seemed to realize they were seen as they turned their gaze upon the dog demon and cowered in fear.

"YesTenseiga,showthemalltome."

Feeling a pulse of his sword that seemed to obey, the dog demon swept the sword through the air in the direction of the imps. A blast of white demonic aura in the form of a crescent moon shot out, invisible to all but the weakling imps and the demon lord. The crescent moon blade cut through one hundred of the huddling creatures.

Not done yet, Sesshomaru swung his blade thrice move, each swing sending out a blade of pure white energy at the imps.

Finished, the dog demon sheathed his weapon and turned away. His remaining soldiers that had witnessed the event all looked on in confusion, however their confusion was replaced when they heard loud groans.

Sitting up, the soldiers that had been laid out in rows that were dead looked around. Some stood, while others frowned and asked what had happened.

Cheers were heard behind the demon lord as he stalked away. Hearing them, his lips curved slightly into a small smile.

000

000

"Ugh, I feel horrible..."

"You should after the kind of fight you had."

Eyes peeling open to find a stern looking Inuyasha glaring down at her, Lilly closed her eyes and let out a low groan. Gently, she brought her clawed hand up and palmed her face, careful not to scratch herself with her claws.

"How long was I out?"

Grabbing a pitcher of water of a nearby table, the dog hanyou poured out a cup of water while saying "Two days. You're the first to wake up."

"First?" Lilly asked in confusion as she cracked her emerald eyes open.

"Yoshe hasn't come to yet."

"Ah, I see." the neko replied. Finding her brother-in-law in front of her again with a cup of water in hand extended towards her, she reached out for it. Carefully, she sat up and slowly took a drink of the cool water. Handing it back, she swung her legs off of the futon she had been laying on and tried to force her body back onto it's feet. About half way up, she nearly fell backwards if not for a strong hand catching her own and hauling her on up.

Smiling warmly at Inuyasha, she softly said "Thank you."

Not responding, the silver haired hanyou turned away and set the cup back down onto the low table. Silence engulfed the room for a few moments before the dog hanyou turned back with a look of anger swimming in his features.

"Do you know how reckless you were?" Inuyasha grit out, showing just how difficult it was for him to keep his temper in check.

Deciding to play coy, the neko started to respond but was cut off by the furious face of the dog hanyou. "No joking around, Lilly! I know your secret! Hell, I'd be willing to bet everyone here does that has any sense of smell! So tell me why you took such a dangerous risk! Don't you know what could have happened to you during that fight! Iya will kill me if he finds out what you've done!"

"Inuyasha, I..." Lilly started but couldn't continue. Looking away, she mumbled "I couldn't let Yoshe go alone."

"Damn it Lilly, was it more important than ..."

"I know what I risked!" Lilly interrupted. Taking a deep breath, she whispered "I knew the risks involved in going with Yoshe. But I also knew the risks of Yoshe going alone to fight Sasuke, and those alone outweighed the other dangers. I could never abandon someone who needed me as much as she did. It wasn't for my own pride or proving to everyone that I can fight. No, it was about helping her do what was needed. I just couldn't let her go alone, knowing that she could die there because we weren't able to team up."

Looking back at her brother-in-law with tears sliding down her cheeks, she asked "Do you understand that?"

Fury slipping away as he took a deep breath, Inuyasha weakly nodded his head. "I do."

"Then try to understand that it wasn't by design that things were the way they were. I only did what I felt was right in my heart. That's why I went with her."

"Inuyasha, don't be so harsh on her. I'm sure she feels bad enough as it is."

Turning to find the person that spoke up just then was his mate, the silver haired hanyou started to respond but saw a look in his mate's honey colored eyes that dared him to respond. Knowing he was bested and not wanting to get a face full of stone, he grudgingly grunted out "Feh."

Walking over to the neko, Kagome placed a caring hand onto her shoulder and smiled. "I'm sorry for how he is. He was just worried. In fact, we both were when we found out. I just have one question for you: why didn't you tell me?"

"I, uh, well..." Lilly mumbled as she looked away. In a shamed voice, she whispered "I knew you'd tell me not to go."

"You knew before the battle!" Inuyasha all but roared.

Throwing a glare at her mate with a low throaty growl, Kagome grit out "Inuyasha..."

"Wait Kagome, I didn't mean it! I ..."

"SIT BOY!"

Responding to their master's command, the purple prayer beads around the male hanyou's neck glowed to life and dragged him into the stone floor with a resounding thump and a loud yelp from their wearer.

"Jerk." the miko hanyou muttered. Returning her attention to the neko, whom was sweat dropping, the miko threw a small smile at her and asked "Now then, care to explain?"

Knowing she had no choice, Lilly quietly said "Well, the truth is, I knew only a few days before the battle. Tsunade confronted me about it too, but I swore her to secrecy. Don't be mad at her, please. It was my decision. She helped me hide it a bit better so no one else would pick up on the fact either. I didn't tell you because I knew you would try to convince me not to go."

Taking in the information her sister-in-law told her, Kagome let out a heavy sigh and replied with "Well, it doesn't matter now I guess. Things worked out."

Grinning, she asked "How are you going to break the news to Iya?"

Lilly instantly blanched at the question. Looking away and wrapping her arms around her stomach, the neko mumbled "I'm not sure..."

000

000

"I'm tired of being cooped up in here! Damn it!"

"Ichigo..." Orihime tiredly sighed. Walking over to her mate that had his fist grinding against the stone wall, she gently placed her hand onto his shoulder and turned him towards her and embraced him tightly.

"It's too dangerous for you to go out wondering about right now. In your human form, any demon could try and kill you here. You know that the Southern Lands aren't too keen on having any humans here, so try to understand. It's just for a few more days."

Breaking free from her embrace and smashing his fist against the wall again, he growled out "I know..."

"Ican'tleavethisdamnroomforatleastanotherthreedays.Untilmypowersfullyreturn,I'masittingduck.Ihatebeinghuman!Likethis,Ican'tdoanythingatall!IfOrihimeandIwereattacked,thereisnowayIcouldprotecther.Damnit,IshouldneverhaveusedtheFinalGetsugaTenshō!"

"Damn you're so noisy." a voice declared.

Turning to find the form of his former partner resting in the doorframe, the orange haired human grunted "Leave us alone."

"Trying to get some alone time? Surely you've had plenty since you've been sealed up in this room." Iya joked with a sly smile.

Blushing at his friend's comment, the quarter demon turned human fired back "Shut up!"

Changing expressions to a more serious one, the dog hanyou softly said "Thanks for dealing with Sephiroth. If you hadn't, I don't know if I would have beaten Aikamaru."

"Don't worry about it." the orange haired man remarked as he turned away from his friend and walked towards his bed.

"And I'm sorry that you lost your powers just to beat him."

Freezing in place, Ichigo let out a light sigh before turning back to find a sad smile on the hanyou's face. "They're not gone for good. Just for a few more days. It's the price I have to pay for such high level power."

"It was a steep price to pay regardless." Iya sincerely commented. "I am truly sorry you have to go through this. I know being human isn't easy when you're surrounded by demons."

Glancing at the bobcat demoness, he smoothly added "No offense meant."

"None taken." Orihime responded with a small smile.

"It'll be alright. At least it's temporary. A few more days stuck in here is it." Ichigo remarked with sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Besides, shouldn't you be resting? I heard you had a rough go of things too."

"Yeah, well, I'm almost back to normal." Iya retorted with a small smirk. "Thanks to Orihime, I can see again, plus my body has mostly recovered. I'm not at the level I was prior to my battle, but I'm close enough that if someone attacks me they'll regret it."

Silence engulfed the group of three for a few moments before Ichigo spoke up and asked "Any word on the Southern Lands Army?"

Iya immediately shook his head, saying "Not yet. We sent a message to them telling them that we've captured the capital and that their Southern Lord is dead. Hopefully they'll agree to the terms that Sesshomaru laid out."

"And that would be?" the orange haired man asked.

"Do you really not know, Ichigo?" Orihime chided.

Nodding his head, Iya remarked "Yeah, it's kind of the most humiliating thing Sesshomaru and Kouga could do to them. Unconditional surrender."

Frowning for a moment, the human asked "Will they go for it?"

"They have no choice now. Without Aikamaru, Grimmjow, or Sephiroth, they have no natural leader that can defend them at this point. Even if there was someone, with the loss of the Southern Keep, it's only a matter of time before they would be overwhelmed. We could squeeze their forces from both sides and they could never recover."

"How could we..."

"Don't forget, our army was resurrected by the power of Tenseiga." the hanyou stated.

Understanding, Ichigo nodded his head and replied "I guess so. I just hope this thing ends soon."

"Why, big plans?" Iya asked with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"N-No..." the quarter demon turned human stuttered.

000

000

"Lord Sesshomaru."

Not bothering to stop signing his paper work, the demon lord spoke up, saying "Enter."

Stepping into the room, General Hayashi fell to one knee in a low bow and awaited permission to speak. A minute passed and the dog demon started to lose patience with the demon lord but knew better than say anything.

"What is it, General Hayashi?"

Taking that as his queue, the general rose up and said "My Lord, we have received word from the remainder of the Southern Lands forces."

Stopping in mid-stroke, the amber eyed demon raised his head and asked "What say they?"

"They have surrendered, Lord Sesshomaru. There was one request though."

Receiving a motion to continue, the general added "They requested that you meet with the clan lords and speak with them about what will become of the Southern Lands. I believe they think you will merge these lands with your own, my Lord."

"They do not understand what 'unconditionally surrender' means." the dog demon lord mused aloud. A moment passed before he said "This Sesshomaru shall humor them. Tell them we shall meet in two weeks. That should be sufficient time for them to receive their message and to arrive here."

"Very well, Lord Sesshomaru. I shall send word." Hayashi replied. With a deep bow, he left the room, leaving the demon lord to his work once more.

000

000

"This is so boring..." Inuyasha whined.

Throwing a weak grin at her brother-in-law, Lilly remarked "Someone had to go through Sasuke's stuff and see what he had planned."

"But why me!" the dog hanyou quipped irritably.

"Well, I did volunteer, and since I've been up and about, you won't let me out of your sights. This is the price you pay for tailing me." the neko cheekily replied.

Glaring at his brother's mate, Inuyasha growled out "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"Maybe." Lilly slyly retorted. "Besides, you don't hear Tsunade complaining."

Continue

"Anything is better than being stuck down there with all those perverts." Tsunade darkly muttered as she flipped through a book. Looking up, she clenched her fist and let out a low growl as she said "You try and save those bastards lives and all they do in return is ogle me! If my mating mark wasn't enough of a clue that I'm taken, I don't know what the hell is!"

Chuckling at the dog demoness, the neko remarked "Poor Kagome is still down there making rounds on the injured. Perhaps you should go be with her, Inuyasha. She could use your protection from ..."

"Ah hell no, you're not tricking me!" the dog hanyou barked. Stuffing his hands in his sleeves, he grunted out "Besides, you don't need to remind me of the current predicament. I gave my word I'd stay near you, even if it meant I had to let Kagome go down there and take care of those bastards. I won't break my word."

Sighing as she continued searching through the office of the former demon lord, the neko hanyou suddenly stopped when she caught sight of a gleam coming from behind a row of scrolls on a shelf near the window. Curious of it, she pulled the scrolls out to discover a crystal ball sitting upon a thick purple pillow.

"What is this?"

Carefully, Lilly lifted the crystal ball up and examined it for a few moments. She at last gave up on trying to decipher what the object was and walked over to where the dog demoness sat.

"Tsunade?"

"Hn?"

Pushing the ball down closer to the demoness, she asked "Do you know what this is?"

Amber eyes flicked up for a moment before returning to her book. Suddenly stopping, the demoness looked up again and set the book aside and said "That's interesting..."

"What?" Lilly questioned.

"Let me see that."

"What you two find?" Inuyasha asked as he edged near the pair. Seeing the crystal ball, a scowl became etched into his features. "A chunk of glass?"

"Not just any chunk of glass." Tsunade answered as she reached out and took the sphere. She carefully inspected every inch of the sphere's surface for nearly a minute before stopping and rubbing her claws against an etching on the bottom.

"A spell insignia? That's a new one."

"What is this thing?" the neko inquired.

After another minute of silence, the dog demoness coolly replied "This is a crystal ball. They are similar to the mirror that Ryo possesses. As you might remember, that mirror is able to locate a person anywhere. Crystal balls are similar, however not as powerful. They are somewhat more limited and thus their search radius isn't as wide as his mirror."

"So what could Sasuke have been doing with this?" Inuyasha posed.

Examining the insignia still with a trained eye, Tsunade remarked "The insignia gives me a hint to what it was for. You see, this insignia links this object to another. That means there is a second one somewhere that would respond to this crystal ball."

"Linked?" Lilly asked with confusion on her face.

"Yes, that's right. The spell insignia links the two together. My guess is they were used to make communications with someone. The two crystal balls would be linked by the insignia, thus allowing the two users to speak and see one another."

"Sounds like something in Kagome's time..." Inuyasha mumbled to himself. "Could we turn this one on to find where the other is?"

Nodding her head in response, the demoness said "Yes, we could. I don't know where the other would be, but surely someone will be there with it."

"Then let's do it. We need to figure out who has the other." the neko stated.

"Alright then. Just give me a moment. Can you get me something to set this thing on?"

Moving back over to the shelf where she had found the crystal ball in the first place, the neko picked up the pillow there and brought it back. Setting it down on the low desk of the former lord, she motioned for the demoness to set the sphere onto it.

"Okay, everything seems ready. Here we go." Tsunade said. Reaching out, she used the tips of her claws to send a small surge of demonic aura into the sphere.

The sphere slowly reacted and came to life with a blinding white light. A few moments later, the light faded to reveal a dark room within the sphere. Voices could be heard nearby, prompting the three to believe they might be able to find the owner of the other sphere.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" the demoness asked aloud. Here the voices questioning what the sound was, she again called out, saying "In here. You're getting closer."

A few moments passed before a bit of blinding white light filled the room from a sliding door being opened. Footsteps neared them and at last, a soldier appeared in front of the sphere.

"What is this thing?" one voice questioned.

"Hello, can you hear me?" Tsunade asked.

The view the trio had suddenly elevated as the sphere was heaved up and soon had the face of a wolf demon staring into the sphere. Frowning for a moment, the demon asked "Who is this?"

"I am Tsunade Senju, one of the ..."

"Tsunade Senju? But how can that be. You're part of the army that was taken off to fight in the Eastern Lands!" the soldier exclaimed.

"Where are you then?"

"Well, I'm at the Southern Keep, namely outside of the room where former Lord Aikamaru held meetings."

"Former?" Lilly spoke up with hope in her words.

Nodding his head in reply, the wolf said "Yes, he was defeated by one of the heirs of the Western Lands, Lord Iya Taisho."

A small grin slowly spread across the lips of the neko hanyou as she whispered "Thank goodness, he won his battle."

"I see." the demoness stated. Knowing they were diverting from the true task at hand, she cleared her throat and asked "Is Lord Sesshomaru still at the Southern Keep?"

"Yes, he is still here."

"Please bring this item to him. It is of utmost importance that we speak with him." the dog demoness strongly said.

"Very well my lady, I will take this to him. Please hold on." the wolf remarked.

000

000

"LORD SESSHOMARU!" squealed several demonesses as the dog demon walked down the halls of the Southern Keep. The women were off to the sides of the wide halls, but each yearned to close the distance between themselves and the dog demon lord.

"You sure are popular." Iya stated at his brother's side.

Earning himself a grunt, the hanyou inwardly chuckled, however, that was washed away by the fact several of the young demonesses kept their eyes locked on himself with lust pouring from their eyes.

"Eversincewecapturedthekeep,thesedamnwomenkeepthrowingthemselvesatSesshomaruandmyself.It'ssoirritatingthattheythinkwewillmatethemonawhimormakethemourconcubinesandusethemforwhateverwewant.I'mtryingtobeniceandall,butthisisstartingtopissmeoff.Iwonderhowhedealswithitsowell."

Throwing a death glare at the women, the dog demon silenced his adoring fans for the moment, but only for a few moments.

At last away from the hallway filled with women and entering into the area of the keep where the former lord had resided, the pair were met by a frantic wolf demon. He bowed deeply and had something under his arm.

Recognizing the demon instantly and lightly irritated due to his rank like always, Iya motioned for the wolf to rise. "Captain Sakai, what's wrong?"

"Lords Sesshomaru and Iya, I found an object in former Lord Aikamaru's meeting room that came to life on its own."

"On its own?" Sesshomaru sternly questioned in an intimidating tone.

Noting the captain cowering a bit from his brother's words, the hanyou inwardly sighed and calmly asked "Captain, what is the object?"

Comforted by the tone of his superior a bit, Sakai pulled the crystal ball he had concealed under his arm and presented it to the pair.

Taking the crystal ball, Iya ran his eyes over it momentarily until he noticed inside was the images of the former Thirteen member, his younger brother, and most importantly, his mate.

"Tsunade, Inuyasha, Lilly..." the hanyou whispered.

Meanings for certain words:

Kōri no shōshitsu = Vanishing Ice

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!