Hey everybody! Battle is up and I'd say it's decent at least. Haven't edited it, but you know... whatever... Anyway, got some reviews the other day that pointed out some complaints that my readers have. I would have answered them here, but that would have inflated the word count more than I'm comfortable with, so I put my responses into a review of my own. I think that it should take care of most of them, but if anybody has more, I'd be glad to see if I can try and scramble to defend my mistakes and keep some semblance of my pride :). So don't be afraid to REVIEW!

Now enough of that! To the battlefield!

Chapter 44:

"DAMMIT! GET DOWN!" Sai screamed to her friends. All of them hit the ground just in time to avoid being sent to oblivion by Haruka's blast of red magic. As soon as the attack passed over them, they scrambled to get into fighting positions. Sai and Kaze drew their swords, while the others steeled themselves to battle.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Haruka complained, "You know I can't let you do that. Saiai will be my only opponent."

"WHAT?!" Kaze screamed, his rage boiling over and his eyes twinging with red, "NO WAY IN HELL!" Kaze's intense rage would have had any other being quaking at his feet. However, Haruka's smirking face was unfazed.

"You just don't get it do you." She said calmly. The demons gathered all growled collectively, creating a terrifying rumble.

"And what the hell is going to stop me from ripping your throat out?" Koga demanded. Haruka chuckled and turned to face the army behind her.

"From what I know," She said, still facing away from them, "You all value human life for some reason. It disgusts me, but I will use it to my advantage. If anyone other than Sai joins in this duel, they will all die."

"YOU BITCH!" Sai roared, her grip on her swords becoming inhumanly strong. Haruka didn't respond or even turn back to face them. She simply walked forward towards her army a few paces before turning around.

"Think it over hmm." She told them with a smirk, "I'll be waiting." With that, the Red Sorceress vanished. Sai could still smell her, so she knew that she was still around, but no one could pinpoint where.

"We can't let you fight alone!" Kaze insisted immediately.

"Yeah. There's no way we're going to let you die out here." Nami agreed. Sai shook her head.

"No." She told them firmly, "I've killed her once, I can do it again."

"Dammit Sai!" Umi cursed, "You won that because your demon blood took over. And if you haven't noticed, the bitch is hard to kill. You tore her heart out and she's still alive."

"Umi's right." Akage agreed, "Plus, she knows how you fight now. I know for a fact that you don't remember your battle, so you'll be fighting blind compared to her."

"I'm not going to let my goddaughter die." Ayame chimed in, "Especially when I just figured out that I had one." Sai growled loudly, signalling everyone to shut up and listen.

"I know that. I know all of that." Sai said, her frustration straining her voice, "But I won't let them die. I can't."

"And why the hell not?" Koga demanded, "They've chosen to fight against us, so why can't we let them die?"

"Because," Kaze interjected weakly, sheathing his sword, "Sai's conscience won't let her. She's too pure for that. It would destroy her if she was the cause of their death. She'd probably never fight again. More than that, she more than likely wouldn't have the will to live herself anymore. That's why we have to let her do this alone. We have to believe that she can do it and that she can win." Sai's jaw dropped at these words. Kaze was absolutely right. His depth of understanding made Sai overflow with love for him.

"Kaze..." Was all she managed to say before words failed her. Sai's hands lost their strength and her swords dropped to the ground. The others saw this and immediately knew that Kaze was right about everything.

"Dammit!" Koga cursed, "Fine, I'll let you fight alone, but you better kill this bitch." Sai simply nodded. At this, everyone but Kaze took off without another word. Kaze walked to his mate and took her into his arms.

"You be careful alright." He told her, the emotion in his voice following the wetness in his eyes. Sai pulled him closer and let the tears fall, but nodded.

"I will." She assured him, though she didn't sound so confident. Kaze nodded, understanding her words and finally letting his own tears stain Sai's kimono.

"I love you Sai. I love you so much." He choked out, nuzzling her neck.

"I love you too Kaze, more than you could ever know." She said, holding onto him as though her life depended on it. Kaze growled low, saying more than words ever could.

The two broke away and memorized each other's features one last time. With that done and no more words left to say, Kaze turned back to where the others had gone and followed them. Sai, however, looked to the sky and sighed. She dried her tears and retrieved her blades. They felt right in her hands. She twirled the swords as more of a comforting motion than anything else before challenging her opponent.

"Haruka!" Sai called out, "I think we've waited long enough." Without another wasted second, the Red Sorceress appeared several paces in front of Sai. Her smirk was still perfectly intact, much to Sai's annoyance.

"Finally! I thought you would never be ready." The girl complained, "Your little love fest was touching, really, but not to me. I found it revolting. Love is for the weak and those with nothing better to live for." Sai scowled, baring her fangs and emitting a menacing growl.

"After I'm done with you," Sai breathed, her anger barely contained, "you won't be living for anything." Haruka snorted.

"Let's see you back up those words." She taunted.

"Gladly!" Sai yelled raising her blades in a large X, "DRAGON RIFT!" The green rays of light sped out of the blades, swirling and twisting around themselves as they went. Haruka barely had time to raise a barrier before the attack hit. The earth around her was completely destroyed. Once the dust settled, Haruka had a three foot deep and 10 foot wide trench on both sides of her. However, her shimmering red barrier left her and her smirk untouched.

"My my Saiai." The girl said laughing, "That old trick isn't going to get you anywhere." Sai growled threateningly.

"Bitch." She muttered under her breath. Haruka feigned a look of being hurt.

"Such language! Well, if you can't control your mouth, then I guess I'm going to have to keep it shut for you!" She mocked letting down the barrier. Sai tried to use this to her advantage and attack, however Haruka did not intend for this to happen. The young sorceress fired off a blade of red magic. It would have hit any human square in the chest, but Sai used her demon speed to get out of the way, barely. This gave Sai an idea.

"DRAGON SCAR!" She roared, using Jikan's influence over time to try and slow it down enough for her to make an opening. The problem was that Haruka didn't seem to be affected at all. She easily deflected the attack and time seemed normal around her, though it was moving at a much slower pace around the two of them. Sai was in utter disbelief which Haruka picked up on immediately.

"Surprised Sai?" She asked tauntingly, "You shouldn't be. I'm a sorceress in case you forgot." Sai cursed herself. Of course it hadn't worked. Sorceresses aren't affected by time at all, while even demons are subject to its withering effects on an extremely long term scale. Sai hadn't thought about that. Haruka saw everything click firmly into place on Sai's face and burst into laughter.

"Don't you see you silly girl? You cannot win!" Haruka yelled, "I am not affected by your control over time and I am most certainly not going to be affected by your control over matter. I win, you lose. Accept your death now and I'll only tear your heart out. Just for revenge and all that. I'm sure you understand."

"Burn in hell." Sai spat. With that, she released the magic slowing time and sped forward with her blades raised. Haruka rolled her eyes, but quickly created her own blades and blocked Sai's attack with masterful ease.

"Please." She said, sounding as though this were a mere annoyance, "Not this again. You may have bested me last time, but you underestimate how fast I learn. I know how you fight and how to counter it. Magic has its benefits you know." Sai's growl intensified as her eyes became twinged with red, though her irises remained golden, and purple demon markings appeared on her face.

"Don't make me say it again." She growled out, bloodlust dripping from every word. Before even she knew what was happening, Sai was moving again faster than any half demon should have been able to move. Her blades met Haruka's causing demonic steel to clang loudly off of magically created steel. The sheer brute force behind Sai's attack was enough to send Haruka peddling back on her heels.

"Now block this bitch!" Sai roared as she fired off a Dragon Wave at the Red Sorceress. The intensity was enough to crack Haruka's hastily made barrier, but nothing more. She smirked haughtily at Sai.

"What was that Sai?" She taunted as Sai panted across from her, "Oh did that take a little too much out of you? Do you need a break? Hmph! Sleep when you're dead half-breed!"

With that, Haruka took off into the air and began to levitate several feet above Sai's head. Her hysterical laughter grated on Sai's ears and her nerves, but there was nothing she could do about it. Haruka had her completely outclassed. None of her attacks had any effect. She was too powerful for her blunt force and too skilled for her demonic attacks. Neither time alteration nor spiritual energy had much effect on the girl. The only thing that prevented her from giving up and accepting death right then and there was her extensive and unshakeable pride. She had her father to thank for that one.

Sai's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the air sparking. She looked up at the source of the sound and saw the deathly red glow surrounding Haruka. The color was deepest around her hands, where it was the color of blood. It was obvious that the magic that she had built up was intense and would kill anything it touched instantly, even Sai.

"When you stop contemplating your death, let me know so I can give it to you!" The girl called from above. Sai scowled up at her and bared her fangs.

"Speak for yourself bitch!" She yelled back, "Come down here and I'll tear your heart out again!" Haruka smirked.

"Hmph! You're gonna have to do a lot more than that to kill me!" She taunted, "But for now, I wanna see you dance!" Haruka immediately began to rain down spikes of her red magic. It was as she had done in the last battle, though this time, more magic was infused into each one. Sai was having a hard enough time of dodging the spears, let alone the resulting explosions. It wasn't long before she was knocked from her feet and started to get knocked around through the air by the blasts. Haruka was obviously doing it for her own enjoyment. At this point, she could easily have killed her. After another minute of the abuse, Haruka let Sai crash into the Earth and create yet another crater among the many that now littered the field. She was on the edge between consciousness and the bliss of leaving this world behind. Sai wasn't going to last much longer and every single person on the battlefield knew it.

Kaze watched from the front of Koga's army as his mate was thrown around like a ragdoll by a little girl. He knew that Sai was fighting as hard as she could, but she was completely outclassed. None of her attacks had any effect. She had tried everything. Haruka had blocked Sai's Dragon Wave and Dragon Rift, fended off her swords in direct combat, was completely unaffected by Dragon Scar, and could resist spiritual attacks. The Red Sorceress was essentially invincible and unbeatable to Sai.

The pain in Kaze's heart was intense. It wasn't only because mate was in pain and on the verge of death. It was because he was responsible for making her face it alone. He had made everyone back off in helping her. His voice had been the deciding factor. Kaze would never be able to live with that. However, he also couldn't help. He knew that Sai would never be able to live with herself if the humans died because of her. Kaze could only lose in this situation and it was frustrating him to no end. His demon blood and human blood were coming to a boil simultaneously. It was all he could do to silence the voice in his head screaming at him to protect his mate.

Suddenly, the explosions stopped. Kaze's eyes were immediately drawn to Sai's limp form as she dropped from the sky and crashed into the earth. The force with which she slammed into it created another crater in the destroyed ground. Haruka followed her to the ground, but came down much slower and landed gently on her feet. Kaze scowled as his eyes went red. The wind picked up, clearing the dust and blowing into Kaze's face. However, heavy on the wind was a scent that Kaze hadn't expected. The scent of demons under the scent of expired magic was thick. Then it clicked. That was the concealment spell. It had covered up the scent of demons and replaced it with human scent, which was now gone completely. Kaze stared at the army across the field from him. They still appeared human, but now Kaze was sure that this was a deception. Each and every one of them was a demon. Kaze's rage finally overwhelmed him. He took a firm hold of the sword on his back and began to draw it. The blade was halfway out when a single thought gave him pause. There was nothing he could do. If Sai couldn't even land a hit a this sorceress, then what could he do? He was useless and could do nothing to save his mate from the horror of death.

"Trust your blade." A voice said in his mind, echoing loudly and permeating every aspect of his thoughts.

"What? Who are you?" Kaze asked mentally.

"Trust your blade." The voice repeated again. Kaze recognized the voice that had invaded his head. It belonged to the man sitting tied up in Koga's den. It belonged to the embodiment of love. He quickly complied. If the embodiment was telling him to trust his sword, then he was going to do it. No one needed to tell him again to save his mate.

Kaze drew his blade and sprinted forward onto the battlefield. He heard the gasps of his friends, but knew that they would be too surprised to try and stop him. The demon blood flowing through his veins took over his body, but his human half retained firm control over his mind. This didn't, however, mean that he wasn't irrational and violent. He wasn't consciously keeping his humanity in control. Instead, his demon blood knew that his humanity was just as pissed as it was and could deal out the same amount of violence.

It was mere seconds before Kaze reached the center of the battlefield. Haruka didn't even spare the time to give Kaze a glance. She raised her palm to him and fired off a massive blast of her red magic. Kaze didn't even flinch. He raised his blade and sliced right through the wall of power without it ever touching him. This got Haruka's attention. Her head snapped around and, in a moment of panic, she sent a spear of magic into the ground in Kaze's path. The explosion stopped him in his tracks.

"I thought I told you not to interfere!" Haruka spat venomously. Kaze smirked, his elongated fangs glinting in the sun.

"I'm not good at following directions." He said, his voice a growl.

"Hmph! Well then, you leave me no choice." She told him, "All of these humans now must die. I hope you will enjoy your mate's hatred as you die together." Kaze's eyes flicked over to where Sai was laying. She was beaten and battered, but still hanging on to consciousness. Her eyes were confused and sad. Kaze gave her a reassuring nod before turning back to Haruka. Then, much to both girls' surprise, he began to laugh.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" He accused causing Haruka to flinch, "Or do you think my nose is faulty? Those soldiers aren't human."

"Kaze?" Sai pleaded weakly, her voice barely a whisper.

"Shhh, Sai, shhh. Smell it if you can." He said gently before putting his attention back of the sorceress, "Your concealment spell expired." Haruka's eyes widened in astonishment before narrowing in rage. The aura around her became a violent red.

"I'll kill you." She breathed threateningly, "You and your mate." Kaze smirked.

"Go ahead and try it bitch." He taunted, "Your magic won't touch me." Haruka scowled and quickly focused her magic in her hands before launching twin blasts of it at Kaze. He immediately began to spin the blade in front of him. As soon as the magic hit the spinning blade, it was dissipated and became nothing.

"Told ya bitch." He said, stilling his blade, "Now it's my turn. BLOOD SCAR!" Kaze slashed the blade downwards in front of his body. Blood red energy rushed out of the blade in two distinct streams. They cut gouges into the earth as they rushed towards Haruka. The sorceress put up a barrier of red magic. However, it did nothing to stop the oncoming assault of power. The barrier was ripped to shreds and didn't even slow down the Blood Scar. Haruka's eyes widened in utter terror as she realized that she couldn't stop it. The twin streaks of energy slammed into Haruka's body and began to consume it. The sorceress screamed out in agony as her body was quickly eaten up by the red power, while Jinsei, Kaze's blade, absorbed everything.

It felt like the screams lasted for hours as Haruka died. In reality, it was less than a minute, but they were so high pitched, loud, and full of pain and anguish that they could have brought even a hardened warrior to his knees. Those on the battlefield that day, however, were unfazed. They knew how detestable the girl was and felt no sorrow for her passing. Instead, all of them looked on in amazement at the man who had so easily brought down the Red Sorceress. Kaze, however, took no time to revel in his victory. He sheathed his sword and ran to the side of his mate.

"Sai! Sai! Talk to me!" He begged, dropping to his knees beside her, "Are you alright? Please say something!" Kaze's voice was desperate. His full demon features were gone, so his tears fell from normal eyes down a clear face. Sai slowly looked up at her mate and smiled weakly.

"That was... amazing." She breathed, though it was clearly labored. Kaze breathed out in relief and took her into his arms.

"Don't worry about that." Kaze told her, "You just focus on yourself right now. I need you." Sai nodded weakly, before closing her eyes. Kaze knew through his mark that she was alive, but was still frantic with worry that she had passed out and about her condition in general.

"Kaze!" He heard Koga yell from behind him, "Is Sai alright?" He nodded his head without facing them, knowing that they would see. They reached him seconds later and gathered around the two. Ayame stepped forward.

"Kaze," She began, addressing him while reaching for Sai, "Let me see her." Kaze immediately pulled his mate tighter to himself and growled at the female wolf demon. Ayame, knowing that this defensive instinct was going to take over, had a response prepared.

"I'm a den mother." She assured him, "I can take care of her, make her better." Kaze's growl stopped as reason entered his mind once again. Eventually, he nodded and handed his mate over to Ayame. The den mother nodded and took the girl gently into her arms and stood up. Everyone stood up.

"Ayame, get her to the den." Koga commanded, "Now. We've still got a battle to fight." Ayame nodded and sped off. Kaze turned to Koga and gave him a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" He asked the tribe leader. Instead of answering, Koga raised his finger and pointed to the army of demons that were no longer disguised as humans. Kaze immediately realized that Koga was right. There was still an army of 2000 demons on their doorstep and they looked angry and ready for blood. Kaze nodded and drew his sword.

"Let me take care of this." Kaze said calmly. All of the others looked at him as if he were crazy, making him smirk, "Totosai said that this blade absorbs the energy of those that it slays. Well, I just slew a sorceress that tossed the most powerful priestess and half-demon in the world around like she was nothing. I think that it has enough power to take out these lesser demons." Koga smiled and turned to the Panther Devas.

"You guys think your panthers would mind if the dog takes these guys out?" He asked jokingly. Toran smirked.

"I think they can deal with not dying for a little while, at least." She assured him. Koga chuckled.

"I think I can say the same for my wolves." He said, turning back to Kaze, "They're all yours kid. Have fun." Kaze nodded and drew Jinsei. He walked out of the group and approached the opposing army of demons.

Kaze stood and stared at the demons for a few moments. They were hesitating out of fear. All of them had seen this same kid kill their leader easily and weren't sure if they could take him. Eventually, though, pride overwhelmed fear and they charged. Kaze smirked and raised Jinsei above his head. He began to spin the blade through the air creating a swirling black mass of wind that raged above the spinning blade. When it reached the size that Kaze wanted, he stopped the blade and slashed it downwards in one fluid motion.

"REAPER'S BREATH!" He roared, sending the black wind raging into the ranks of demons. As soon as the air hit them, the demons began to fall to the ground dead. Jinsei began to pulse as it devoured their life force. Not a single demon got anywhere near where Kaze was standing. Instead, there were about 2000 shriveled and dissolving bodies of demons arrayed in front of his calm and collected form.

Without a single word, Kaze sheathed his blade and turned away from the battlefield. The time for battle was over. Now he had to be with his mate. He took off at a sprint towards the den where Ayame had taken her. She needed him and he needed her. Kaze was determined to make sure that she was okay.

Hope you guys liked that! And see... I told you guys that Sai wasn't overpowered to the extent of being unbeatable. She got roughed up pretty bad there. She ain't unbeatable, I swear! Kaze on the other hand... He can suck the life out of your body... That's creepy as hell and is normally a bad guy power, but hey, now it's a good thing! Yay! Anyway, hope you guys liked it and would love to hear your thoughts, so... REVIEW! Love you guys!