Inuyasha:
The One Who Holds the Sword
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Story and OCs © Me
Summary- In which Ichiro learns the true meaning behind his father's sword.
WHOOSH! CLANK! ZWISH! Ichiro sat on the stump, nearby, his eyes wide with awe and a broad grin on his face as he watched his father swing his mighty blade. Inuyasha grunted as he swung the Tetsusaiga downward, then to the side, followed by a diagonal slash from the left, then he exhaled as he held it in front of him, his eyes intense and focused. It had been a couple of days since he had last been out on exterminating jobs with Miroku, so he decided to take this time to practice his swordplay.
"Dad, your sword is so cool," Ichiro spoke up, suddenly, causing Inuyasha to glance back at him, a bit taken back by his son's silence, but then he chuckled as he turned to face the boy, holding the blade against his shoulder.
"It is pretty cool, huh?" he asked.
"I bet you get to fight all kinds of bad guys with it!" said Ichiro. "I wish I had a really cool sword like the Testusaiga! I could do all kinds of stuff with it, like shoot jewel spears out of the air, or make it grow dragon scales, or even make those black hole things!"
Inuyasha had to laugh at Ichiro's enthusiasm before he walked up and put his hand on the 8-year-old quarter-demon's shoulder.
"Ichi," he said. "It's true that the Tetsusaiga can do some pretty amazing things...but it's not what the sword can do, but it's the one who holds the sword that matters."
"...Huh?" Ichiro asked, tilting his head. "I don't get it."
"You'll understand when you're older," Inuyasha replied as he sheathed his sword, then ruffled his son's hair, causing him to grumble a bit in slight irritation.
"Ichi!"
Ichiro turned to see Tsukihime and Roku, waving to him from afar.
"Come on, Ichi!" the latter called out. "We're going to the creek today!"
"Dad, can I go play?" asked Ichiro.
"Have fun," Inuyasha answered. "Just don't wander off too far, understand?"
"Here I come, guys!" Ichiro called to his friends as he ran over to them, and the trio soon headed off together.
XXX
"Wind Scar!"
SWISH! Ichiro swung an old stick in a downward motion, imitating his father's signature move as he stood in the water of the creek while Tsukihime and Roku sat on the bank.
"And...Backlash Wave!" Ichiro yelled as he swung the stick in a circular motion. "Take that, you stinkin' demons!"
"You do know that you're part-demon, right?" asked Tsukihime.
"Relax," said Ichiro. "I'm only talking about the bad demons." He then swung the stick again. "Adamant Barrage!"
"Umm...Ichi?" asked Roku. "No offense, but can't we talk about something else?"
"Yeah, all you've done since we left was talk about your dad's sword," said Tsukihime. "It's getting boring!"
"Hey!" Ichiro shouted. "My Dad's sword is not boring!"
"Oh, no..." Roku muttered. "Here we go."
"How would you know what your dad's sword can do, anyway?" asked Tsukihime. "You never saw him use it!"
"Yeah, I have!" Ichiro argued. "And you have, too, remember?! My Dad saved your butt with his sword!"
"That's kinda true, Tsuki," Roku said.
"Stay outta this, Roku!" Ichiro and Tsukihime barked, causing the human boy to blink in surprise.
"I've only seen him use the Wind Scar!" Tsukihime shouted. "It's not that great compared to what my Dad does with the Goraishi! You don't even get to go with your Dad when he goes exterminating!"
"He'll take me, one day!" Ichiro shouted. "Besides, the Wind Scar's not all he can do!"
"Oh, yeah?" Tsukihime asked. "Prove it, then!"
"Fine! I will prove it to you! Tonight!" Ichiro said. "Meet me at the old swamp! I'll bring the Tetsusaiga there!"
"Fine by me!" Tsukihime replied. "We'll see just how great the Tetsusaiga really is!"
"Umm...Ichiro?" Roku asked. "There's a slight problem or two with your little plan."
"Like what?" Ichiro inquired.
"Well, first off," Roku began, "isn't the swamp off limits? You know we're not allowed there."
"Details, details," Ichiro waved it off. "As long as I have the Tetsusaiga, no demon will come after us!"
"Which brings up my next question," Roku said. "How are you gonna get the Tetsusaiga away from your dad? Doesn't he keep it with him at all times?"
Ichiro's eyes went wide and his ears flattened.
"Uhh...oops," he muttered.
"Ha!" Tsukihime laughed. "Yeah, Ichi! How are you gonna get the sword away from your dad?"
"...Pfft!" Ichiro buzzed his lips as he crossed his arms inside his sleeves. "Easy! I'll just sneak into his and Mom's room while they're sleeping and get it! I'll be back before they even notice I'm gone!"
"I'd like to see that happen," Tsukihime smirked.
"Oh, man, I just know we're gonna get in very big trouble," Roku muttered.
XXX
That night, after dinner had been had and everyone had gone to bed, Ichiro put his plan into motion. Slowly, he slid the door to his room open and crept to the door where his parents and his infant siblings lay sleeping before he opened that. He found Inuyasha and Kagome, lying on their futon together while Yamako and Sanka lied on a separate futon, the former sucking on his thumb and cooing softly. Ichiro scanned the room from right to left until he spotted his target: the Tetsusaiga, leaning up in the northeastern corner.
Perfect.
Taking in a silent and deep breath, Ichiro steeled his nerves and tiptoed across the room, being very careful not to wake his parents or his baby brother and sister. Having to deal with Yamako crying was bad enough. He didn't need both him and Sanka crying at the same time.
As he took another step forward, the floorboard creaked, causing him to wince before he glanced over at his snoozing family. To his surprise, no one stirred. Not even a twitch of the ear from Inuyasha.
Heaving a silent sigh of relief, Ichiro continued to creep up toward the Tetsusaiga. Once he had gotten close enough to it, the 8-year-old grinned triumphantly before he took the sword into his hands...only to grunt a bit as he held it. It was certainly than it looked...but then again, it was a pretty big sword. Of course, it would be heavy, he figured.
As Ichiro turned to leave, Inuyasha suddenly sat up with a bit of a snort, causing the boy to freeze in his tracks, but then the half-demon grumbled before he lied back down.
"Phew..." Ichiro sighed, softly. "Man...Dad sure can be a heavy sleeper."
With that, he crept outside with Tetsusaiga in hand, chuckling quietly to himself.
"I can't wait to see the look on Tsuki's face...!" he whispered to himself.
XXX
Tsukihime and Roku sat near the edge of the bubbling, foggy swamp that was littered with all manner of bones and dead plants, waiting for Ichiro to arrive. However, the latter looked rather nervous as he looked around, and for good reason. After all, he had been told many times by Miroku and Sango never to come here, for it was far beyond the borders of the village, and there were quite some dangerous demons lurking about here.
"Tsuki," Roku said. "Can we please go, now? This place gives me the creeps."
"Wait!" Tsukihime exclaimed as she spotted Ichiro ran up to them, holding the Tetsusaiga. "Here he comes, now!"
"I got it!" Ichiro called. "I got the sword!"
"About time you showed up," said Tsukihime, crossing her arms. "What took you?"
"Hey," Ichiro began, "I couldn't risk waking my family up, thank you very much!"
"So...are you gonna show us?" asked Roku.
"Yeah, Ichi," Tsukihime added. "Show us how great your dad's sword really is."
"With pleasure," Ichiro smirked. "Okay, you guys stand back!"
His friends both complied as they backed away a couple of feet while Ichiro placed his hand on the hilt of the sword.
"Prepare to be amazed!" he declared. "I, Ichiro Higurashi, will now show you a fearsome weapon, used to destroy 100 demons in a single swing! I present to you...the Tetsusaiga!"
SHING! With a quick pull, he drew the sword from its sheath...revealing a thin, rusty, old blade.
"Uh...that's it?" Roku asked while Tsukihime covered her mouth, trying to stifle her giggling.
"Huh?" Ichiro muttered before he looked up and saw the sword's current state. "W-wait...this can't be it!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Tsukihime guffawed. "Some sword! It's just a rusty old toothpick! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!"
"Stop laughing!" Ichiro spat.
"Ichi, are you sure that's your dad's sword?" asked Roku.
"Of course, it is!" Ichiro argued. "It has to be!"
"If it's really your dad's sword," Tsukihime began, "then how come it's not all big, like when he uses it when he's fighting?"
"Uh...because..." Ichiro started before he gasped. "I-it's because it's not being used for battle, right now!"
"Maybe," Roku said.
"Whatever," said Tsukihime. "I don't have time for this. I'm going back home." She then started to walk away, only to bump into a large, brown...and rather scaly object. As she rubbed her head, she looked up, only to gasp upon seeing a gigantic snake with three glowing red eyes.
"Well, now," he hissed, his forked tongue licking the air. "Whatever do we have here? Three little lost children..." He chuckled darkly. "My favorite delicacy."
Almost instantly, the three whimpered and shivered as they huddled together as they stared at the giant serpent.
"I told you we shouldn't have come here...!" Roku squeaked in fright.
"W-w-well, Ichi," Tsukihime began with chattering teeth, "now's your chance! Time to show us what that sword can really do!"
"What are you, kidding me?!" Ichiro questioned. "I don't know how to use a sword!"
"What?!" Tsukihime yelled. "Then what are we gonna do?!"
"RUN!" Roku screamed as the snake demon lunged at them with jaws gaping, forcing the children to scatter as his long fangs bit into a hollow log...which instantly began to melt.
"Oh, great!" Tsukihime exclaimed. "Of course it's poisonous! It's a snake!"
Ichiro stood in the murky waters of the swamp, holding Tetsusaiga with his shaking hands while the snake demon glared at him.
"What are you going to do with that, boy?" he asked before he slithered toward the quarter-demon, who screamed as he turned and ran, only to trip and fall in the muddy water. However, that may have more or less saved his life, for the snake demon, in an attempt to capture the boy in his jaws, ended up going right over him and diving into the swamp.
"Ugh...blegh!" Ichiro spluttered as he spat out mud and pond weeds from his mouth. "Gross!" He then noticed that the snake demon had disappeared. "H-hey...where'd he go?!"
"Ichi!"
Ichiro turned to see Tsukihime and Roku waving to him while sitting on top of a boulder.
"Hurry! Get over here!" Roku cried.
"Quick, before he shows up!" urged Tsukihime.
Not wasting a second, Ichiro ran to his friends while still holding the Tetsusaiga, but as he ran, a trail of bubbles began to follow after him.
"Ichi!" Tsukihime cried as she pointed at the bubbles. "Look out behind you!"
Ichiro turned around, only to gasp as the snake demon emerged from the water with a ferocious hiss before he lunged at the children. However, Ichiro growled before he held up the Tetsusaiga and stabbed it into the serpent's nose, causing him to screech in pain.
"Hurry! Run!" Ichiro shouted as he, Tsukihime, and Roku turned and ran, but the latter tripped on a stone that was hidden under the water and fell into the muck, groaning in pain.
"Roku!" Tsukihime cried as she helped him to his feet.
"You okay?!" Ichiro asked.
"Ugh...I think I twisted my ankle...!" Roku grunted.
"Come on, hurry!" Ichiro urged as he leaned against him. "That snake's coming back!"
"Curse you, BOY!" the snake demon roared as he slithered after the children, who all screamed as they ran as fast as they could and narrowly dodged his fangs, which ended up biting into a boulder, which started melting from the venom. As for the kids, they had managed to hide themselves behind another rock.
"We've gotta find a way outta here...!" Ichiro whispered.
"How?" Tsukihime asked, softly. "Roku's hurt...! You know something, Ichi? This is all your fault!"
"My fault?!" Ichiro repeated, trying not to raise his voice. "What did I do?!"
"If you just kept your mouth shut about your dad's stupid sword, we wouldn't be in this situation!" Tsukihime argued.
"You're the one who called it boring!" Ichiro countered.
"In my opinion," Roku began, "it's really both your faults."
"Keep outta this, Roku!" Ichiro and Tsukihime both shouted.
"Ahem."
The kids froze before they all turned to see the snake demon, glowering down at them.
"Are you quite finished?" he asked. "If so...then it's time for my dinner!" He then lunged at the trio of children, who all let out terrified screams as they braced themselves for the incoming devouring...until...
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER~!"
SLASH! The snake demon screeched as he felt claws swipe into his scales, drawing a large amount of blood. As the kids looked up, they all gasped and beamed upon seeing that it was none other than Inuyasha.
"DAD!"
"UNCLE INUYASHA!"
"MR. MUTT!"
Inuyasha glanced back at the children, but then his eyes quickly turned back to his foe as the snake demon hissed angrily.
"You...you damn half-breed!" the serpent yelled as he lunged for Inuyasha, who merely glared at him before he reached behind him, his hand extended to Ichiro, who blinked at him before he realized that he was asking for the Tetsusaiga.
"Hurry, son!" Inuyasha demanded, causing Ichiro to hurriedly hand his father the sword...which pulsed as the half-demon tightly gripped the hilt before the blade soon grew in size, taking on its true form. Inuyasha poised himself with the Tetsusaiga being held to his right, just as the snake demon began to close in with jaws gaping.
"DIIIIIIIIIEEEE!" he screeched, only for Inuyasha to leap forward with a roar of his own and swing his sword...completely cleaving the serpent in half. As the demon's remains collapsed in the muddy water, the children all gaped in shock and awe.
"Wow...!" Roku whispered.
"...Okay, I take it back," said Tsukihime. "That is a cool sword."
"...Told you," Ichiro added.
"Ahem!"
Ichiro flinched before he looked up at his father, who glared at the children sternly.
"You guys are in a whole heap of trouble," he said, causing them to sigh.
"What else is new?" Ichiro muttered under his breath.
XXX
The walk home was quiet and tense. The children all silently followed Inuyasha, who walked on ahead of them with a glare in his eyes with Tetsusaiga tied to his waist. Roku, who had gotten his ankle popped back into place, looked over to Ichiro, who looked down at the ground as they continued to walk. Even Tsukihime didn't hide her concern as she glanced at her best friend.
"...Umm...Dad?" Ichiro asked, causing Inuyasha to stop as he glared back at his son. "I...I'm sorry I took your sword."
"Why you even took it in the first place is beyond me!" Inuyasha said.
"Um...Uncle Inuyasha?" Roku asked. "If I may...none of this was my idea! This all started with some silly argument!"
"It doesn't matter what happened or how!" Inuyasha said. "Ichiro, what in the world possessed you to steal my sword?!"
"I...I only wanted to show Tsuki and Roku how cool it looked," Ichiro replied.
"Ichiro, I told you," Inuyasha said as he drew Tetsusaiga. "It's not about what the sword can do! It's the one who holds the sword that matters!"
"But...I just don't understand," said Ichiro. "How come when you hold the Tetsusaiga, it can turn all big and cut down giant demons in half, but when I hold it, it's just a rusty old sword?"
"Yeah, I'm kinda curious about that, too," said Tsukihime.
"Me, too," Roku added.
"You kids wanna know why?" Inuyasha asked as he held up his sword and squeezed the hilt, allowing his demonic energy to surge into it and turn the blade giant, once again. "The reason why I can wield sword this properly is because I'm the only one who knows its true purpose."
"Its...true purpose?" Ichiro repeated.
"This sword was forged from my Father's own fang," Inuyasha explained. "He used it to protect my mortal Mother." He looked down at Ichiro. "Ichi...I can wield the Tetsusaiga to protect your mother and my friends. The sword doesn't respond to selfish desires such as spiting someone or feelings of entitlement, and it especially doesn't respond to showing off...understand?"
"...I guess so," Ichiro replied. "I just thought it would be cool if I could use it." He then looked up at his father with his ears drooping. "I...I just wanted to be like you, Dad."
Inuyasha's face softened before he sighed and sheathed the Tetsusaiga, then got down on one knee and gently ruffled his son's hair.
"Look, son," he said. "I am disappointed...but I can kinda understand where you're coming from."
Ichiro looked up at Inuyasha, who smiled at him.
"After all," he started, "it's a pretty cool sword."
Hearing that caused Ichiro to smile, as well as Tsukihime and Roku, while Inuyasha stood up and walked ahead, prompting the children to follow.
"Um...Uncle Inuyasha? Are you still gonna tell mine and Tsuki's parents about what happened?"
"Roku, when I said you're all grounded, you're ALL grounded."
"Told you so."
"Oh, be quiet, Ichi...I don't know why I even hang out with you and Tsuki!"
THE END
Yeah, I might have rushed this one, a bit.
Review, please!