Let Two Be One

Rin was delighted to see Sesshomaru coming. He stopped before his younger brother and drew his sword from its sheath. "Draw your sword, Inuyasha," he commanded.

Inuyasha was baffled. "Sesshomaru, what's going on here? Have you lost your mind?" It wasn't really a smart question to ask. The two brothers had always been battling with each other. Other than that, Sesshomaru challenged Inuyasha to confirm a suspicion or two; especially about the whole setup being another one of Naraku's traps.

"Silence," the elder brother barked. "I said, 'draw.'"

Inuyasha scoffed. "You're still hung up about Tetsusaiga, aren't you?" Sesshomaru didn't answer. He swung his sword and unleashed a Meido at Inuyasha. The younger brother dodged and grunted. "If that's how it's gonna be, then I won't hold back either, ya bastard!" he growled, drawing his sword.

Tetsusaiga's reflection appeared on Tenseiga and Sesshomaru's sword began to glow. Inuyasha tried to unleash his Windscar, but nothing happened. Then Tenseiga took on the image of Tetsusaiga.

"Look at that," Yugi gasped in astonishment.

"This is like the same trick Kanna pulled," said Kaiba. "But how did Sesshomaru get that power?"

Sesshomaru unleashed the Windscar on Inuyasha, but his younger brother dodged.

"What's going on, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha demanded. "Why can I smell Naraku's scent on your sword?"

"Actually, that would be my scent," Byakuya's voice answered. Everyone looked up and saw him in the sky sitting on his origami crane. "As you observed, Kaiba, I passed a fragment of Kanna's mirror demon on to Sesshomaru's sword."

"That confirms that, then," Kaiba growled.

"Lord Sesshomaru, why," Rin cried. "While you were gone, Naraku tried to kill Kohaku! He's evil! You can't trust him! Don't listen to what he says!"

"There's no point, Rin," Max told her. "You should know Sesshomaru better than that. Nothing can change his mind."

"Still, I can't believe Lord Sesshomaru would borrow Naraku's power," said Kohaku.

Byakuya took out a flask and sprayed something around the area surrounding the two brothers. The liquid took on the shape of the moon and disappeared, taking the two demons with it. Sango tried to attack Byakuya with her hiraikotsu, but he vanished instantly.

"Now what?" Joey asked. "We have no idea where Inuyasha and Sesshomaru are or what's going on."

It turned out that the moon was just a mode of transportation to bring the two brothers to an alternate dimension. It was just the two of them with no one to distract them. Inuyasha was disappointed in his elder brother. It was a cold fact of nature that Sesshomaru was senseless, but he never thought that his older brother would sink this low. It wasn't the first time Sesshomaru allowed himself to be part of Naraku's scheme, but this was still a new loath.

Sesshomaru was just as disappointed in his younger brother. It was a cold fact of nature that Inuyasha was pathetic and undeserving of Tetsusaiga. He unleashed the Adamant Barrage, displeased with the extent of his brother's power and having expected more. Inuyasha was protected by the barrier created by Tetsusaiga's sheathe, but Sesshomaru cut through it using the power of the red Tetsusaiga.

"Prove it to me, Inuyasha, that you are the rightful heir to Tetsusaiga," Sesshomaru demanded. "If you only continue to prove to me that you are weak, I'll have to kill you and get rid of Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga for good."

Inuyasha scoffed. "So you're telling me that if I win, you'll let this go?"

In a manner of speaking, yes, but that would all just depend on how the battle would go. Sesshomaru unleashed the Windscar once again. It would take some time before Inuyasha's sheathe could produce a barrier again. Until then, his sword would have to be his shield. But Inuyasha lost his footing and slipped into a demonic lake.

Everyone continued to worry about Sesshomaru and Inuyasha and wonder how the battle was going. As if on cue, Totosai appeared riding on his three-eyed bull. He told the heroes that they could see the battle too, so he struck his bull on the head and its three eyes began projecting the scene like it was a movie.

Riding on a demon, Inuyasha came out of the lake and raised his sword to attack. Looking at Inuyasha's face, Sesshomaru saw that his demonic nature was starting to take over. It was of no concern to him. Sesshomaru had battled against his brother in his demonic state before and showed no fear. It also seemed to Sesshomaru that it wouldn't make any difference.

Suddenly, Inuyasha began to feel demonic energy flowing inside of him. It seemed that not all of Tetsusaiga's demonic powers were stolen. Sesshomaru's sword began resonating as well. When their blades crossed, even more demonic energy began flowing into Inuyasha's body. With the demonic energy he acquired, Inuyasha was able to unleashe the Windscar, but Sesshomaru sent it back to him with the Backlash Wave. As he saw the attack coming back, Inuyasha countered with the Backlash Wave as well. The collision of the blasts created pillars of water and scattered many demons.

He charged in hoping to take back the rest of the demonic power, but Sesshomaru unleashed his Meido Zangetsuha. Inuyasha felt himself being pulled in and was trying to hold on, but there was nothing he could do.

It seemed like this was it for Sesshomaru. While the path to the underworld was still open, Sesshomaru did the same thing his father did and cast his sword away. When he did, the two swords began resonating again. Inuyasha's blade took on the form of Dragon-Scaled Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha wondered, was his sword telling him to cut through his own demon vortex? Putting all of his faith in Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha raises his sword and begins cutting through his demon vortex. As he does, he begins to feel the demonic energy flowing through him and his sword. Sesshomaru watched Inuyasha's display, deciding that this was evident enough that his younger brother was the rightful heir to Tetsusaiga.

Just when it seemed like Inuyasha had found a way out of this predicament, Sesshomaru's sword unleashed adamant spears and attacked from behind. Apparently, Naraku was able to control the sword because the mirror demon Kanna controlled was a part of him just like Kanna herself.

Even Sesshomaru saw that Naraku was using his sword to attack Inuyasha and jumped in to the path to the underworld. He gripped the hilt of his sword to stop the attack. He knew Naraku was giving him the opportunity to end this once and for all, but Sesshomaru was going to do it his own way by no longer playing into his hands. "Raise your sword, Inuyasha."

"As if you had to ask," he snarled. He was still wounded from the adamant spears in his body, but he wasn't going to let it hold him back. Their blades began crossing and the fragments of Kanna's mirror demon began coming off of Tenseiga. At that moment, Tetsusaiga broke through Tenseiga, splitting it in half. It also turned black and star-studded.

Inuyasha didn't have the strength to wonder about his new power. The adamant spears in his body began releasing Naraku's miasma, stunning him. Sesshomaru removed the adamant spears and punched his brother, trying to bring him back to his senses. Inuyasha opened his eyes.

"The path has been closed," Sesshomaru warned his brother. "Will we stay here or will we find some way to return to the world of the living?"

To Inuyasha, his brother sounded like he was testing him. Either way, he was right. They had to find a way to escape or allow themselves to be trapped. Inuyasha now had the power of Meido Zangetsuha and he had to figure out on his own how to use it before their bodies would fade away completely.

Tetsusaiga began pulsating again. Inuyasha saw a light coming from the path beyond the world beyond. He wondered, was his sword telling him to strike where he saw the light? It seemed to be his only chance. Once more, he put his faith in his sword, swung it, and created a path back to the world of the living.

Inuyasha fell to the ground in fatigue. Emily began using her magic to heal him and replenish his strength. Sesshomaru was greeted by his companions with relief. Totosai advised Sesshomaru that although Tenseiga's power had been absorbed by Tetsusaiga, it still had its healing power and it would be best to hold on to it.

"Wait a minute," Max was saying, "I just saw the sword split in half. How can it be whole again?"

That was when it made sense to Inuyasha. The light he saw beyond the world beyond came from Tenseiga. It was Sesshomaru's sword that revealed the way out.

Totosai pulled the sword up from the ground. "You may not be satisfied with a sword that cannot cut, but it is still a powerful sword that heals."

Sesshomaru was disgusted at the idea. "So what? Am I supposed to take it and go around healing people now?" He turned around and began walking off.

Rin asked to hold on to the sword for the moment. "I'll give it to him when he's in a better mood," she promised.

Max shrugged. "He may never know. There may come a time when he may need it again."

"You're going to stick with him?" Emily asked.

"For the moment," she answered. "Kohaku will too, so I think it'd be best if I kept an eye on the boy. You can tell Sango that rest assured, her brother will be better protected while I'm around."

"Good idea," said Emily. She trusted Max and thought that Kohaku would be in good hands with her around. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sesshomaru, but it was because of their agreement. "I'm sure we'll cross paths again." And the girls grasped hands and wished each other well.

For the first time, Inuyasha felt sympathy for his elder brother. That was when he asked Totosai, "What's going to happen to Sesshomaru? Everything our father gave us is now mine. He has nothing left."

The swordsmith wasn't too concerned. "If I were you, I'd worry less about my brother and more about mastering my new Tetsusaiga."

"He has a point," said Kaiba. "After witnessing its display of destructive power, you're going to need to learn to use Meido Zangetsuha carefully."

Inuyasha knew they were right. If he hadn't been guided by Tenseiga's light, he never would have been able to create a path back to the world of the living.

Yugi spoke up. "Master Totosai, you talk about demon swords like they have feelings. I've noticed that about you."

"Well, in a sense, they do," the swordsmith replied. "As you already know, my boy, demons swords aren't like ordinary weapons. Take Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga, for instance. They were created from the fang of the Great Dog Demon. You could say that a part of him lives in the swords and is watching over Sesshomaru and Inuyasha."

"He has a point," Inuyasha said in agreement. "Our swords will sometimes act according to their own will. Or maybe the will of our father. That's what makes it seem like our swords are trying to tell us something, like what they want us to do. Our father may be gone, but through our swords, he's still with us, guiding and protecting us."

After witnessing Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's battle, Emily began reflecting on her battles with Max. In many ways, they had a lot in common. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, they're like me and Max. They have a fierce rivalry, yet every time they battle, they seem to help each other and benefit from one another. I wonder if Max wonders the same thing.

Max was wandering in her own thoughts as well. Every time Sesshomaru challenges Inuyasha, he seems to end up helping his brother more than harming him. It's like every time Sesshomaru has something he wants to confirm, he ends up testing Inuyasha's caliber and inner strength. I also think he realizes that more than he cares to admit. That's just like what I do for Emily.