Hey everyone! Well, this past weekend wasn't too bad. Saturday, I spent the day cutting hay for my dad at my grandfather's farm. I was pretty upbeat about it, mostly due that working in the hay kind of relaxes me a bit. It did suck though that my allergies bugged me all day. I quickly found out that my allergy medicine that I was prescribed to isn't strong enough to handle my hay fever, so that sucks. Still, I got better that evening and went shopping with my mate. Other than that, nothing else is really new in real life.
Writing wise, I'm still working on this story and my other. Nothing really new to report on either one. Hilariously enough, I have come up with a bit of an idea for a Naruto fic, but I think I'll hold off on it for sure till I'm done with both of these stories.
Alright, moving along, time for reviews!
Mitsukai – Lady of Gryffindor: Yes, I am evil like Takahasi with my cliffhangers. Heh, I've been told that many times over, lol. NO!! Don't review strike! I'll be a good boy! Lol, fun fun. Thanks for the review!
Well, that's it. Thanks for the single review from you Mitsukai. Ah yes, and thanks for the add to your favs there animewatcher123454. I appreciate it.
That's it for me today. Enjoy!
Chapter 28
Staring at Kimimaro's stern face, Iya softly said "Kimimaro, it's alright to give up."
"NO!" Kimimaro angrily snapped back. "I will not fail my Masters. I will die before failing them! Now witness my full power!"
Closing his eyes once more, Kimimaro lightly grunted and hunched over while the crest on his chest began glowing red. Slowly, the crest spread out, causing his skin to begin to turn a shade of brown. On his face, black demon markings formed on his eyebrows and on his lower eyes. Fangs slowly poked out of his mouth, revealing that they had lengthened. His fingers and toes each had claws slowly grow out. The bones within his body began crackling loudly while his body reshaped. Six thick bones sprouted out from his sides, one from each shoulder, and the other four down his sides. A series of bone spikes sprouted slowly out of the center of his back along his spine, and a tail soon shot out of his rear too. It too had a row of bone spikes. With a slight swish, it whipped around, revealing he had fine control over it.
At long last, he let out a deep breath and stood up fully straight. Opening his eyes, he revealed cold golden eyes that now replaced his aqua ones.
"Impressed by what you see?" he smugly asked.
Looking Kimimaro over, Iya softly said "Kimimaro, please, listen to reason."
"NO MORE TALKING!" Kimimaro bellowed while charging Iya.
At blinding speed, Kimimaro was in front of Iya. Shocked at this, Iya quickly attempted to leap away to safety, only to have Kimimaro's clawed hand swipe out at him. At the last moment, he used Ketsaiga to shield his body, allowing Kimimaro's claws to scrape the metal.
Recovering a few feet away, Iya was hardly prepared when Kimimaro pounced on him again. Again, all Iya could do was block with Ketsaiga and avoid any damage by rolling out of the way. He wasn't allowed to go far, for Kimimaro was quickly there to attack.
Again and again, Iya managed to avoid Kimimaro's sharp clawed hands and tail, but he could not seem to escape the powerful bone demon. No matter what Iya tried, Kimimaro was nearly on top of him each and every time.
Finally out of desperation, he pulled Ketsaiga over his head and called forth it's icy transformation. Slamming the sword into the ground, he cried out "Ice Barrier!"
A large twenty foot wall of ice formed in front of Iya, blocking Kimimaro, who slammed into it hard. The ice cracked at the point of contact, but held firm. Having a moment to get some distance, Iya did just that, placing fifteen feet between himself and the bone demon.
The wall soon shattered, sending chunks of ice tumbling to the ground in multiple directions. Darkly chuckling while walking through the debris, Kimimaro smugly asked "What's wrong Iya? Where is that confidence you had?"
Lightly panting, Iya stared at the bone demon. "In his transformed state, he's not only faster, but much stronger. Those attacks he made, they were close, but I managed to avoid them, but just barely. From here on in, I'm going to have to be more careful. I want to still save him, but I don't know if I can or not. At this rate, I'll be killed if I keep this up."
Catching his breath, he finally replied "I still plan on winning, but I wish you would listen to reason."
"You are truly foolish." Kimimaro stated. "It is time I finish you and take these slaves back to my Masters."
Reaching up to behind his neck with his right hand, Kimimaro flinched in pain when a bone shaped handle slowly formed from the base of his neck. Lightly, he began tugging, dragging out a long bone with multiple vertebras on it. At long last, he pulled it completely out and whipped it to his right side, slinging some ooze off of it. The bone resembled a long cane, but it soon went lip, resembling a whip instead.
Looking at the weapon in Kimimaro's right hand with wide eyes, Iya lightly mumbled "You pulled your spine out?!"
Smirking while straightening up, Kimimaro smartly replied "Yes, this is one of my most powerful weapons. You're about to meet your demise Iya. Prepare for the afterlife."
Rushing forward, Kimimaro flung the whip at Iya, who didn't have time at all to react due that the whip had lengthened. It quickly curled around Iya's side and was about to snap around him tightly when he raised Ketsaiga in between it and his body. The whip clanked against the sword, but the remainder of it cut into Iya's flesh, making him grimace in pain. Wet, red crimson life force instantly sprang free from the wounds and began sliding down his body, but Iya tried to remain calm.
Chuckling smugly, Kimimaro slowly walked closer to Iya while his whip kept tight tension. "I'm surprised you managed to slide that sword in between yourself and my whip, but no matter. You're not so smug now, are you Iya?" he mocked. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer long. I'm going to kill you soon enough."
Holding his left arm out, Kimimaro let out a light grunt while his arm began making a crackling sound. Slowly, white bone began forming over his arm, forming a large twisted cone shape that extended beyond his left arm by three feet and then three foot above his head. The bone formed along his arm till his elbow, which then separated from his body. The end of the top of the bone was jagged and had several petal like designs near the top of it.
Pointing the large spear like bone at Iya, Kimimaro smartly said "This is my strongest bone. It will bore right through you and your pathetic ice powers. Once I have done this, my Masters will be free at last from you, and I will have brought back two of their slaves."
Pulling the bone backwards, Kimimaro yelled out "FAREWELL IYA!"
Pushing the large bone spear forward, Kimimaro aimed straight for Iya, only to have his attack intercepted and pierce through Lilly instead, who let out a loud gasp of pain and a sickening sloshing sound.
Turning his attention to Lilly, Iya's eyes widened completely and he screamed "LILLY, NO!"
--
Watching the fight from the side of the clearing, Ichigo, Lilly, Kagome, and Orihime stared on in awe while Iya had taken advantage of the fight with Kimimaro with his speed and skills. The group was soon in shock when Iya lost his advantage upon Kimimaro transforming into his true demon form.
"No way someone can be that fast or strong!" Kagome stated with shock on his face.
Refusing to turn away, Lilly watched in horror when Kimimaro wrapped his spine whip around Iya. Iya had saved himself from being cut in half by using Ketsaiga to keep the whip away from part of his body, but the rest was being cut into by the bone whip.
"Iya, no…" Lilly mumbled in disbelief.
The group then watched in a bit of fright when Kimimaro formed his large cone shaped bone on his left arm.
"He can't defend against that!" Orihime pointed out worriedly.
Having had enough sitting and watching, Lilly made up her mind and raced towards the battle. The others shouted after her, but with Inuyasha unconscious and Ichigo unable to move quickly, and Orihime a bit exhausted herself, no one could stop her.
Rushing towards Iya with speed she didn't know she had, Lilly growled lowly. "I won't let him die! He swore to protect me, and I swear here and now I'll protect him with my life too! If he died because of me, I could never forgive myself!"
Reaching the battle, the only thing she could think to do was jump in the way, hoping Kimimaro would stop his attack and back down since she was one of the ones he wanted to capture. Her guess was wrong, for Kimimaro didn't have a chance to stop. The bone tore straight through her stomach and ripped right out of her back. All she could do was gasp in complete shock, then the pain hit, making her wince heavily and suddenly cough up a large puddle of blood. The thick slimy substance was leaking out of her broken body and onto the ground in a thick pool while she still stood on shaky feet.
Staring at Lilly with wide eyes, Iya screamed "LILLY, NO!"
Summoning all his strength, he poured it into Ketsaiga and yelled "Cold Wave!"
The sword instantly covered itself in ice and began releasing a cold frosty mist. Slowly, the bone whip surrounding Iya began to crackle loudly till suddenly it shattered at the point where the blade was touching it, freeing Iya completely.
Shocked at the loss of his whip and Lilly's desperate move, Kimimaro pulled his large bone out of her wound and backed ten feet away. Staring at the red crimson liquid on his bone, he frowned heavily.
"Master Kenshin will be most displeased with me for this." he lowly mumbled to himself.
Dropping Ketsaiga immediately when Kimimaro pulled back his bone, Iya caught Lilly before she could fall backwards onto the ground. Holding him in her arms, he could see the damage clearly. The wound was clear through her stomach and out her back.
"What were you thinking Lilly!? WHY, WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" Iya screamed, knowing it was hurting her ears, but was somewhat furious and scared and didn't care.
Sadly smiling, she weakly mumbled "I had to protect you… If you had died for me, I could never forgive myself…"
Stopping to hack up some blood for a moment, she began to shiver lightly. "I feel cold…" she mindlessly muttered while half closing her eyes.
"Don't go to sleep!" Iya commanded.
Arriving at that moment was Kagome and Orihime, who each grimaced a bit at the sight of Lilly's injuries. "Lilly…" Kagome lightly murmured.
Turning to Orihime, Iya quickly asked "Can you heal her Orihime!?"
Scanning over the injury, Orihime finally nodded and replied softly "I can, but I have to treat her quickly. With that much blood loss, it may be too much for her body to sustain."
"Do what you must." Iya said with a firm voice. Shifting Lilly in his arms till she was in bridal style, he offered her to Kagome and said "Take her with you and keep the others back. Don't let anyone near this battle. Understand?"
Nodding lightly, Kagome took Lilly into her arms carefully, making sure not to disturb her wound any further. "What about you?" she asked.
"I'm going to kill Kimimaro." Iya coldly stated while turning towards the bone demon. "Get going, now."
The two young women nodded and quickly made their way towards where the others were. Being alone again, Iya picked Ketsaiga up and lowered his head, effectively hiding his eyes below his bangs. Without a word, he quietly sheathed the sword, causing it's transformation to reverse while sliding into it's sheath.
Watching Iya do this, Kimimaro smirked and tauntingly asked "Have you given up half breed? All because that bitch got in the way?"
Silence filled the air, making Kimimaro slightly frown. "What's wrong, did that neko steal your tongue?" he mocked.
"Shut your mouth." Iya coldly ground out. Slowly, he raised his head, revealing his eyes at last. They no longer were muddy brown, but were blue-green with blood red color in the background.
A bit surprised by Iya's change in demeanor and eye color, Kimimaro smirked and smugly said "You've lost control. You're losing complete control over your demon blood and are transforming into your full demon form, aren't you weakling?"
"No." Iya flatly remarked. "I've not transformed into my full demon form in for a very long time. Only a few times before have I ever lost complete control of myself, but this isn't going to be one of those times."
Glaring at Kimimaro, Iya coldly added "For harming Lilly, you will pay the ultimate price. I tried to be reasonable and offer you a way out, but you have refused me. With you harming Lilly, I see I can no longer hold back."
Iya softly let out a low feral growl, signaling his demonic aura to begin flaring out of his body. He ground his fangs together heavily and finally let out a loud howl. Thick white smoke instantly enveloped him, hiding his body completely. The cloud of smoke rose up into the air till it suddenly stopped and dissipated, revealing it's contents. From the smoke, a large black dog with fangs and claws roared loudly. Landing onto the ground with a heavy slam, the dog snarled at Kimimaro, who became a bit overcome with fear.
"He… he can transform into his full dog form!?" Kimimaro gasped in complete shock while watching the large black dog.
The dog opened it's jaws, allowing frosty air to come out. Bounding into the air, the dog flew up a hundred feet above Kimimaro, who could only look on in shock.
Regaining his composure, he glared at the dog and yelled "I will not die at the hands of some half breed!"
Letting out a loud roar, the dog began descending with it's jaws snapping open and shut rapidly. Crouching deeply, Kimimaro leapt into the air with his large cone shaped spear pushed out in front of his body.
"I will kill you!" he bellowed loudly while still flying upwards.
With only twenty feet between the two, the large black dog opened it's jaws and shot out a blast of icy air. The air struck the cone shaped bone, covering it in ice instantly and making Kimimaro gasp in shock. Meeting in mid-air, Kimimaro tried to slam the bone into the dog, only to have it shatter upon contact with the paw of the dog. With his bone gone, but his left arm intact, Kimimaro stared in complete shock, but was slammed to the ground hard before he could react by the dog's paw.
Kimimaro crashed into the ground with great force, making a five foot deep crater from the impact. The large black dog soon touched down about thirty feet away and snarled loudly. After a few moments, Kimimaro crawled out of the hole and fell onto his hands and knees before it.
Panting heavily, he glared at the black dog and deeply growled. Calling forth all of his power, he formed a spear like bone on each arm. "I WILL NOT BE BESTED BY A FILTHY HALF BREED!"
Rushing straight at the dog, Kimimaro let out a ferocious battle cry. The dog charged forward too and opened it's jaws. Another burst of frozen air was shot forward, striking Kimimaro's two bone weapons first, then his entire body. The burst slowly froze his entire body, making his form stop moving and fall to the ground and come to a skidding stop. The dog quietly padded to the fallen form and lowly growled out at the icy remains of Kimimaro. Lifting his large paw up, the dog slammed it hard onto the frozen statue, turning the statue into multiple pieces of ice.
Glaring at the multiple pieces, the dog snorted and slowly padded towards where Orihime and the others were. Arriving, the dog looked down at Lilly and let out a whimpering sound. Looking at the dog worriedly, Kagome backed away slowly, only to have Ichigo softly chuckle.
"Don't worry Kagome, he won't hurt you. After all, that's Iya in there still." he explained.
Looking up at the large black dog, Kagome softly asked "Iya, is that really you?"
Receiving a curt nod from the towering dog, Kagome softly sighed and relaxed a bit. "I wasn't sure if you were in control or not. Sorry for assuming you weren't." she apologetically said.
Iya didn't do a thing upon hearing her reply and looked back towards Lilly. With a low whimper, he nudged Orihime with his nose, who had her eyes closed and was calling forth her healing powers with the help of her two fairies. Letting out a low grunt, Orihime mumbled "Don't disturb me Iya. I need to concentrate."
Understanding, Iya padded off softly and collected his nearby discarded kimono and pants. Picking them up in his teeth, he walked off, leaving a bewildered Kagome behind.
"He'll be fine." Ichigo reassured her. "He needs to transform back and calm down. I'm pretty certain right now, he's very angry with himself. Just let him go blow off some steam."
Finally nodding, Kagome sat down beside of Inuyasha and carefully lifted his head into her lap. Softly stroking his silver hair, she looked down at him lovingly and sighed. Returning a glance at Lilly and Orihime, she softly whispered "Please don't die Lilly."
--
Lightly trekking up a stream he had found nearby, Iya quietly walked along. Finally finding a set of waterfalls that fed the stream, Iya sniffed the air and listened for any sounds to give away the position of any demons in the area. Finding none, he finally reverted back to his humanoid form.
Throwing his clothes on some rocks, he slowly walked into the pool beneath the waterfalls and dunked himself into the cool water. Coming up for air, he turned onto his back and glanced up at the sky.
One single thought was on his mind while laying there staring up. "Lilly…"
Closing his eyes, he felt as if he was reliving the moment of the attack. Kimimaro had pinned him down within the whip, but he was about to escape and dodge the attack. Out of nowhere, Lilly had intervened and took the attack head on.
Lowly growling, he remembered his reaction to the scent of her blood. It had made his blood boil and demand that the one that caused her pain be killed at that moment. He had been trying to save Kimimaro from the beginning of the fight, but throughout the course of the battle realized that in the end he would have to kill him. Still, he had tried to save him, knowing if he could, that they may gain a new and powerful ally. All that went away though the moment Lilly had taken the hit for him and ended up so badly injured. Seeing her like that was almost too much for him to bear and had caused him to give up on saving Kimimaro.
"If she dies…" he began in his mind, but roughly shook his head, sloshing the water around him. "No, she won't die! She just can't!"
Softly gasping at the words in his mind, he suddenly pondered why one simple human turned half demon was affecting him so badly. "How is it that she's wormed her way into my heart this deep? I care for her more than I should."
A voice in his head, belonging to Lady Shankoutetsu replayed and said "I must say, the neko is a lovely one. Have you considered mating with her?"
Trying to clear his head of his thoughts, Iya only heard another one, this one belonging to Momo, say in a casual comment "You find her interesting and attractive enough to be a mate though, don't you?"
Lightly growling, he sat up and dunked his head underwater. Coming up for air at long last, he shook his head violently. "Damn it, I don't have time for these thoughts."
"You'd much rather go sit by Lilly's side." a voice in his mind declared.
Heavily sighing, Iya looked down at his reflection in the water and finally dunked himself under it once more. Rising up out of the water, he slowly walked out and shook himself off. Grabbing his clothing, he slipped on his pants and retied his hair into it's usual ponytail. Dragging his two kimono tops to the water, he dunked them in and washed the blood off of each. Finishing, he rung both out and placed them back on.
Hurriedly, he ran back to where he had left the others to find Orihime still trying to heal Lilly. The hole had mostly closed up, except for a minor amount. Sweat was pouring off of Orihime's brow from the intense concentration that she was holding while still casting her spell.
Glancing around, Iya saw Inuyasha was still unconscious, with Kagome holding his head in her lap and softly stroking his hair. Ichigo was asleep nearby, seemingly trying to recoup some of his strength.
Looking up and seeing Iya had returned, Kagome sadly smiled. Weakly, he asked "Is she …?"
"I'm not sure. Orihime has been healing her since you left." Kagome sadly remarked.
Sighing, Iya walked over and sat down beside of Lilly and grabbed her empty hand and clasped his own around it. Her skin was cold, but he could feel some warmth still buried within. Slowly, her chest was rising and falling, with her breathing being shallow. The color in her face was pale, almost too pale.
"Will she be alright Orihime?" Iya asked with concern.
Still focusing on healing, Orihime didn't open her eyes, but replied softly "I think I got to her in time. She lost a lot of blood, which I can't fix, but I can help her along at least. Her wound is almost healed, so she just needs to rest. She maybe unconscious for a few days before she recovers enough to wake up."
Nodding softly, Iya quietly said "Thank you."
"Try not to worry too much. The hard part will be her recovery." she replied. "If her body can replenish the blood she lost, she'll be fine. I just hope she can do it."
"I understand." Iya mumbled.
Another thirty minutes passed by and finally Orihime finished up with Lilly. Letting out a sigh of relief, she stood up with a slight wobble and said "Just keep her still and let her rest. She should be fine in a few days. I've got to attend to the others for now."
Mutely nodding, Iya watched Orihime go to Inuyasha next. With her away, he moved closer to Lilly with her hand still in his own. Leaning closer to her face, he whispered "Stay strong and come back to us Lilly."
--
For two days straight, Lilly was in a deep healing sleep. Finally, on the second day, she slowly began to wake up. She first heard the sounds of nature surrounding her. Not long after that, her nose picked up the different scents. She quickly recognized one to be Iya's masculine scent. After a moment, she then noted that someone was holding her hand. Weakly cracking her eyes open, she saw a tired looking Iya staring down at her with a small smile.
"About time you woke up sleepy head." he warmly said.
Lightly smiling herself, she tried to sit up, but quickly regretted doing so. Her body ached, especially around her stomach. A hand quickly pushed her back down onto her back.
"Lilly, don't make sudden movements like that. I don't think you could rupture your wound, but still, I wouldn't try." Iya sternly admonished. Calming, he added gently "You've had a rough few days, so take it easy."
Frowning, she asked "Few days?"
"Yes, a few days. You've been asleep for two days straight." Iya replied.
Her brow furrowed and suddenly the memories of what had happened last in the battle replayed in her mind. The bone demon Iya had been fighting was about to jam his large cone like bone into Iya's body and she had got in the way and took the attack instead.
"Are you alright?" she ventured. "I mean, did that demon hurt you?"
Softly chuckling, Iya replied "No, he didn't harm me. It should be I who should be asking if you are alright. You took a rather hard hit."
Weakly chuckling, she said "I'm fine."
"Lilly…" Iya began. In a low whisper, he said "I'm sorry."
Looking at him with her emerald colored eyes, she asked "Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong."
"No, I did. I didn't protect you from Kimimaro. I was so wrapped up in the battle that I had no clue you had entered it." Iya admitted. With his ears drooping, he said "I'm truly sorry for that. I failed you, when you needed me to protect you the most. For that I'm truly sorry."
Seeing the sincerity in Iya's eyes, Lilly closed her own and felt hot tears start rolling down her cheeks. "Iya… I don't blame you at all. It's not your fault. I jumped into the situation not knowing what I could do, but I knew I had to protect you. I couldn't allow you to die because of me."
Opening her eyes once more, she looked deep within his muddy brown eyes and whispered "I could never forgive myself if you died because of me."
Using the pad of his thumb, Iya gently wiped away the tears falling down Lilly's cheeks and softly smiled. In a soft, warm voice, he said "I will do whatever it takes to save you Lilly, even if that does mean giving up my life. I vow I will save you, so please don't worry. I'm not that easy to kill."
Nodding slightly, she settled a bit. Gently, Iya lifted her into his lap and leaned her back up against his body while he leaned against the tree behind him. "Try and rest up for now Lilly. In another day or two, we'll have to move out, so please try and concentrate on regaining your strength." he quietly said.
Yawning, Lilly nodded once again and felt her entire body relax against Iya's. Feeling his warmth pressed against her back, she happily sighed, knowing she was safe. Absent mindedly, Iya sighed with contentment himself and wrapped his own arms around Lilly. The motion only made Lilly feel more relaxed and protected, and soon enough, she was fast asleep along with Iya.
--
Watching from a distance, Kagome and Orihime smirked at one another over the actions Iya had just shown. Since Lilly had been healed, Iya had been by her side. He had not left once to eat, drink, or sleep. The others had brought him food and water several times, but he had barely touched any of it. He had simply sat there, watching over Lilly silently, waiting for her to awaken.
"Feh, that wench finally woke up. At least that idiot brother of mine is asleep at long last." Inuyasha grumbled.
Glaring at Inuyasha, Kagome held her tongue from giving him a 'Sit' command. He had woken up late the day of the fight, but was extremely weak. Kagome forbid him from doing anything that night, which he obeyed while relaxing with his head in her lap. The next morning, he had awoken and felt much better, but was still a bit sore. Even after Orihime had healed him the day before, his body was sore from laying on the ground and from his wounds. Still, that didn't keep him getting up. By the end of the day, he was back to his usual grumpy self, making Kagome groan in irritation.
"Well, be thankful she woke up. After all, she lost a lot of blood." Orihime commented.
"Yeah, but we've fallen behind on our time. The longer it takes her to recover, the more time we'll lose." Ichigo pointed out.
After Lilly had been healed, Orihime had quickly turned to Ichigo, whose wounds were somewhat severe. Lilly had done a nice job at wrapping them and disinfecting them, but they were still painful to him. Using a bit of her remaining strength, Orihime had healed him, but didn't completely finish the job till the next morning after she had rested. Upon being healed, he had tried to begin his training, but quickly found he didn't have the energy to do it. Still, he fought on and managed to make it through a day of training.
Orihime had been most displeased by him doing that, but found she couldn't help but feel she had to heal him. Bit by bit, she had taken up concern for the quarter bobcat, but never said a word about it. She had heard stories about him from her own clan, how he was a disgrace, but from what she saw, he was possibly the strongest bobcat demon, quarter blood or not.
Lightly sighing once more, she remembered how amazed she was that morning when Ichigo showed her that he was completely healed. Even though he was a quarter blood bobcat demon, she wouldn't have guessed he'd recover as fast as he did. Half demons usually didn't recover so fast normally, but she guessed that Ichigo's demon blood was stronger than a normal half or quarter demons, which made no sense. Still, she didn't push or argue the point.
At the moment, the four were sitting quietly, with Ichigo back fresh from training, already showing off signs that he was slightly scratched up. The damage was minimal to him, but he had fresh cuts and scratches, but they did little to slow him down. Inuyasha had meanwhile taken to training Kagome. For now though, the two were on break, deciding to take it easy since they had been at it all morning.
The group of four all quieted down and relaxed some more under the shade tree that they had found, allowing Iya and Lilly some peace and quiet themselves.
--
After another two days, Lilly was finally strong enough to once more continue the trip towards the border of the Northern and Eastern Lands. Ichigo and Inuyasha had been rather irritable in the two days of waiting, but with the trip ready to finally resume, their moods seem to change for the better.
"At long last, we're going to go kill that bastard Kurama and free Kagome." Inuyasha bragged while slamming his one fist into his open palmed hand.
Lightly chuckling at Inuyasha's upbeat attitude, Iya nodded and said "That's the plan. Whichever we find first, we'll kill. I just hope we find both quickly. We need to find Kenshin a bit quicker since Lilly's time runs out before Kagome's."
Seeing Lilly flinch a bit at this declaration, Ichigo smugly cut in and said "Don't worry Lilly, once we find that rat bastard, I'll cut him down. Me and him have a score to settle, and I think it's about time I collected on that debt."
"Alright…" Lilly softly replied.
Seeing the group was ready, Iya said "Let's get going. We have a lot of time to make up for."
"Right!" the group enthusiastically yelled out.
With those words said, the group of six began their trek onwards towards the furthest Northern and Eastern Lands borders, with hopes of finding the two mages once they arrived.
