Chapter 9: The Sword

It's so cold…Am I frozen?

I can't see anything but I know my eyes are open. Only darkness fills every crack. I am not sitting or standing…or laying, it feels like…I am floating. So cold…

"Wake up." Soft words echo through the chill and shadows, it's a woman's voice. It sounds familiar, so familiar.

How'd I get here? Where am I? All I remember was bickering with Inuyasha's brother and a large demon, maybe there was a light…

"Wake up." She repeats. Her voice is almost too soothing; it makes me want to stay in this darkness regardless of how cold I feel. Where have I heard her voice before?

Beyond the darkness there is the faintest sound of battle, metal on flesh, the smell of decay fills my nostrils and it burns. My body tries to recoil from the scent and sound but it is unmoving. I am a statue, frozen in a dark abyss. Those sounds are familiar as well.

An image of a pair of brown eyes stare at me through the darkness, then red lips below it. She smiles, her eyes are warm like pools of chocolate. I know those eyes; I've seen them fiercely fight off hordes of demons every night in my dreams.

"Who are you…?" I hear myself say but the words, I know they didn't leave my lips yet they echo in the darkness.

"Wake up. Inuyasha needs you," she replies, "Wake up."

Inuyasha…

That light…I remember it now, the demon was coming towards me so quickly and then a flash of red. Inuyasha! It was Inuyasha, who jumped in front of that woman and I. And then she let out a bright light…

Where is Inuyasha? I need to wake up.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

A vacuuming sound fills the darkness, it's loud and overwhelming. I want to cover my ears but I still can't move. Deep within the darkness there is a sparkle, like glitter, it gets bigger and whiter – faster towards me until finally it blinds me. The whiteness covers me in a heat wave and washes my entire being and then-

Nothing.

I open my eyes expecting to be burned by some omniscience light but instead I staring at clump on clumps of brown, decaying grass at my side. Beyond the grass, between openings I see a dark murky pond with ominous fog rolling over it.

Rolling my head straight I notice the sky above is an odd mix of grey and black but yet no stars, no moon, no nothing to signify it is a sky at all. It is eerie and moving, without clouds. Narrowing my eyes suspiciously I move my arms to push myself up.

That's when I see them.

Ugly, hideous little things. Kappa demons – I know them from all the signs that litter the rivers and streams back in the present, a boogey man kind of creature for kids that adults use to keep them from getting close to water. And yet here they are much like the demon I saw next to Sesshomaru. These ones are different. They have a grey tone to their nasty green skin and look slimy. They have webbed hands and feet that are bare of any clothes; their eyes are wide without lids and large like aliens, yellow to the very center where cat-like slits stare at me. Their weird pointed mouths gape open at me as if they are shocked by something.

I glare at them, angry that they are in my presence and then I spot their tiny hands reaching for rusty chains that lie next to their feet.

"They couldn't hold you." A familiar, nasally voice whispers at my ear. I glance to the shoulder the voice comes from to eye Myoga. The little flea demon is huffing and puffing, sweat drenches him completely.

"Where are we? Where'd you come from and what do you mean?"

"Can't answer questions now! You have to stop her!" He pants, two of his four arms lift lazily up in a direction that points across the pond and my eyes follow.

Just barely visible through the fog on the pond, I make out two silhouettes by the water's edge. They are sitting close, so close to one another that it looks like they are combining into one being. Narrowing my eyes to get a better look, I vaguely notice the recognizable colors of red and silver of Inuyasha and the pink and black of the woman before.

The more I squint my eyes the more I start to realize that she looks off, very off…like…her face is…missing. Smooth fleshy clay is all that is her visage and her once neat hair and kimono are messy and slumping off her shoulders, exposing a nipple-less breast.

Inuyasha isn't the same either; almost half his entire body is being sucked into the woman's chest that moves like putty. His wrists and below his waist is all that dangles limply on the ground before her.

Without a second thought I am on my feet so fast my legs wobble below me, "I knew she was off!" This was a trap this entire time! Just as I am about to yell slurs at her that only a sailor would know, out from the fog I spot a small figure rowing a tiny boat. I know that creature; it's the demon Kappa that was by Sesshomaru's side.

Ducking down to the ground I keep out of sight. I might be able to handle her but I don't know that creature's powers fully. I can't take a risk of Inuyasha being sucked up more while I am fighting the demon off. Even so, the Kappa seems more focused on the woman than the world around him.

The boat scrapes onto the muddy bank near the woman before coming to a full stop. The Kappa throws the paddle he used to row the boat into the water and grabs his staff from the boat's bottom. Hopping off the boat he squeals angrily. Even from this distance, his nasally scream hurts my ears, I cringe from the sound.

He rushes at the woman with his two head staff swinging in tiny circles. "Stop! What are you doing? No soul-sucking till I tell you!" As he speaks his staff collides across her face, wiping it to the side and leaving a putty-like imprint behind. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the putty returns back to a smooth surface.

Now is my chance, I have to get close while they are both distracted with themselves. Getting down to my hands and knees, I start to crawl along the bank of the pond using the tall dead grass and the cat tails for coverage. The closer I get the better I'll be able to come up with an attack plan.

"You can have your way with him later, after he tells us how to find the tomb of Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father." The Kappa continues.

"That's Jaken," Myoga whispers into my ear, "He's Sesshomaru's evil henchman. Keep your eye on his staff, that's majority of his power."

"Inuyasha, Inuyasha!" The woman calls out, "Your father's tomb, where is it? Please tell me!"

There isn't much to be heard from Inuyasha, only the sound of mumbling and gurgling. The sound makes me want to clear my throat, as if something is stuck in it or covering it. This worries me, what if he's drowning in her muck? I crawl faster, ignoring the scrapes and scratches the pebbles, sticks and rocks below me cause.

"Then think harder! Let me see into your heart…" She pauses briefly. A moment of silence, "What's that?"

He mumbles again. I pop my head above the grass for a split second to see my distance and lower it immediately after to continue my pursuit. I am almost there. Hold on a little longer Inuyasha.

"What black pearl – Where? We need more than that, go deeper!" This time Jaken replies.

"But Lord Jaken, if I delve deeper his spirit will be broken-"

"I don't care! Do it!"

Now! Bolting out of the grass, I use my full force to aim for the kappa. He doesn't see me coming, and I won't give him the chance too. The moment it is in arms reach I snatch the two headed staff out of his hands and use it like a golf club to knock his tiny body across the pond. He skips like a flat rock a couple of times before ultimately sinking into the dark water below.

"Nice shoot!" Myoga cheers.

But I have no time to celebrate. We're not done yet. Throwing the staff off into the long grass, I rush for the woman next but unlike Jaken, she knows I am coming and even without eyes or ears, she's able to hover backwards above the ground and out of my reach. Her colorful kimono flaps like a flag on a windy day, baring more of her naked breasts and revealing more of her stomach where Inuyasha is being sucked into.

I'm only a foot away from Inuyasha's feet, I am so close. I might have speed but she has air and the closer I get the higher I'm noticing she's going. My only chance to save him now is to believe in that power I used before with that centipede demon. That odd glowing light that exploded that demon to pieces.

Using all my strength I leap forward, plummeting my entire body towards her while my left hand swings out just in time to clutch Inuyasha's left hand just before it could be sucked as well. Using his hand as support I pull myself closer to them both, thrusting my right hand straight into her face and allowing the seconds between us for her to suck my hand in just enough for my palm to disappear.

"Eat this!" I scream, a sudden rage fills me and just like that a shotgun explosion comes from my right hand and blasts her head straight off her shoulders and compels Inuyasha and I far from her body. We both land hard on our butts, bouncing along the dirt and grass until finally I fall back onto my back and Inuyasha landing practically on top of me.

Inuyasha coughs frantically like he's trying to get something out of his throat and groans afterwards in pain. I scoot out from underneath him and look over his body. He doesn't appear wet or slimy and not at all harmed other than the cough.

Clearing his throat and prolonged growl reaches his lips, "she pretended to be my mother," he exclaims, more worried about the trickery than what just happened to him. "Where is…" His eyes wander the landscape in search of something, his eyes stop on the headless body that lies in a puddle of blood feet from us. His eyes widen, and he turns his attention on me. "How?"

"I just got angry and the power came from my palm." I say shrugging. I really have no idea how to control this power but hey, it worked when I needed it.

His brows narrow in concentration, but he doesn't continue it, he just nods.

"I know where it is now," an apathetic voice echoes from ahead of us. We both look up but not quick enough. When we do we see Sesshomaru coming at us so fast he's a white blur until he's only inches away. In one swift movement he has Inuyasha fully off the ground by the throat with a single hand.

Inuyasha doesn't squirm, doesn't even fight it, does he see it futile? Is he still weak from that woman?

All I can do is stare up at them, I know I have no chance fighting off Sesshomaru. The level of power that comes from him is suffocating.

"Of all the places for him to hide it. All this time, beneath our very own noses! Or to be technical above our very noses. Father was determined to keep it a secret, which is why he chose here to hide it." His right hand cracks and pops at all its joints at his side, the more he talks the more it flexes. The sound is unsettling.

Inuyasha, unaware of this, grabs Sesshomaru's left wrist that holds him hostage but he can barely squeeze the flesh. He ends up giving up and dropping his hands to his sides once again. "What are you talking about, you're making no sense at all."

"Well then, little brother, since it was obviously done without your knowledge, how would you like to come with me and find out?" The cracking stops, his right hand lifts to Inuyasha's right eye and with two fingers pointed centimeters from Inuyasha's iris, an electrical charge sparks between them.

Inuyasha screams in excruciating pain; his cries have my heart pumping loud in my chest and in my ears, my breath quickens, red takes over my vision. Below me, my fingers clench into the ground and I can feel it, my fingers and palms heating up just like moments ago with the woman. His free eye closes but his other widens from the shock, unable to close to protect itself.

My eyes flicker back and forth between the two brothers, and though my anger has my powers ready, I know with this demon, it will do hardly any damage and even so, Inuyasha is so close I might cause him pain as well. What can I do? Am I forced to watch this as he suffers?

Slowly, Sesshomaru pulls his right arm back; the electricity stretches like a rubber band until finally a black pearl pops out of Inuyasha's eye, leaving him without an iris in the amber orb. The electricity stops and with the same hand, he catches the pearl, dropping Inuyasha's shaking body to the ground.

Inuyasha's cries of pain stopped when the electricity did, but even as he lands, he shakes in pain. Groans come from him, and one hand claps against his pained eye.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

Before Inuyasha can answer Sesshomaru is quick to continue his prideful discovery. "Seeing, yet never seen. Protected yet never known to its protector. Our father's tomb, hidden inside a black pearl deep within your eye." The demon brother smirks while he twists the smooth black marble in-between his thumb and pointer finger.

The power that waved to my hands has diminished and so has the red that blanketed everything. I scramble to my feet and reach a hand out to Inuyasha, he takes it without a thought he uses me as support to get up.

"You pretended she was my mother, all for something like that!"

"Are you not amused?"

Inuyasha drops his hand from his side and charges at his brother with his right hand flexing into a claw, but Sesshomaru's faster, he leaps with such speed that he blurs again until he stops a story high above us. An amused grin crescent his lips. Taking the pearl from his right hand with his left, he uses his right hand in a thrusting manner at Inuyasha, following the movement a yellow glowing beam congregates.

Just when it was gone, the red flashes once again and before I can control it I'm in-between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru with my arms spread out at my sides in a foolish attempt to protect him. I glare fearlessly up at the powerful demon, rage filling me up so much I can hear myself growl but in return, Sesshomaru's grin grows.

Our eyes narrow at one another and just as we do the yellow beam cracks like thunder against an invisible force between Sesshomaru and I; where the beam cracked waves of purple ride along an oval dome shape that encloses Inuyasha and I.

"What the…"Inuyasha says behind me. He says what I am thinking, but there is no way in hell I am tearing my sights off of Sesshomaru. The beam from Sesshomaru's right hand disintegrates before us, leaving the powerful demon and I both, in surprise.

Regardless of the surprise I feel, I refuse to show it. I keep as cool and collected as possible, pretending I know exactly what's going on so not to give Sesshomaru any advantage.

"It seems your spiritual energy and powers are stronger than we thought." Myoga comments at my shoulder.

You and I both, but what does it mean? I think to myself.

The surprise on Sesshomaru's face hastily vanishes. He lowers himself slowly while eyeing the now invisible dome, probably wondering the same thing I am: is it still there?

"M'Lord! The staff of skulls is ours once more!" Voices the ugly kappa, Jaken. He rummages out from the tall decaying grass, soaked from the pond water. I should have hit him further…He sends a glare my way but not much since his budging yellow eyes can't show much emotion.

"At least, the moment has come." Sesshomaru drops the black pearl on the dirt, and like I had before, snatches the staff from Jaken; using the butt of the staff he smashes the pearl. When the two collide the old man's head on the staff, opens his mouth and bellows out a loud laughter.

"The old man laughs. It means the tomb will open!" Jaken says ecstatic.

Where the staff met the pearl a sudden wide gaping black hole appears, opening wider and bigger with a foggy grey smoke that flows around the edges like a cold fire. A putrid smell of death comes from it, burning my nose hairs just like when I first arrived here in the darkness; I cover my nose in reaction to the stench.

Sesshomaru and Jaken step into the hole, disappearing behind the grey fog and black mass.

"We must move quickly! Before it closes! Do you want your brother to take sole possession of your father's treasure?!" Myoga screeches from my shoulder, he's turned towards Inuyasha, but I feel it instead. Sesshomaru almost killed Inuyasha twice now to get to whatever it is their father has. I'm not going to let all that fight go in vain.

I sprint for the portal and only stop when I reach its edge to look back at the shocked half demon, "Let's go already."

He nods dumbfound and runs to the portal and to my side. He reaches me faster than I sprinted to the portal and when he reaches it, he wraps his right arm around my waist and plunges us through the black abyss.

An icy wind blasts against us, I shiver immediately from the cold and instinctively wrap my arms around Inuyasha to keep warm. All we see is darkness at first, and then it shatters like glass.

The scenery changes dramatically from dark, gloomy and full of death to something out of a fairy tale. This is all too familiar to me. Together we glide down through the clouds to the earth below, green, tall trees scatter the land between enormous bones of many different creatures but one sticks out the most.

A gigantic skeleton with the body of a human and skull of a dog stands tall ahead all the other bones. The beast of a skeleton looks nearly untouched and is clothed with the armor of a samurai. I wonder…if this was what Sesshomaru was looking for…

"Father." Inuyasha says softly.

I look up at him; his face is saddened but handsome. Different from the anger and irritation I'd grown used too.

Beneath us a skeleton bird three times the size of us both, swoops up toward us and meets us half way from the ground and the sky. We plop down on top of it, my hands clenching like claws to grip to the bird's awkward rib cage for dear life. Just as we land the bird screeches and directs us straight through the opening of the skeleton's mouth and down its throat.

"He's huge…" I mutter, observing the open gape of his throat that we are not even close to touching.

"They're huge because he himself, was of incomparable stature. Here he is in his true form, undisguised. There is a sword embedded in his bones – it is this sword Sesshomaru is after." Myoga informs.

Ironically, before all this, inside Kaeda's hut, Myoga had no idea who was seeking out Inuyasha's father's tomb or what they were after, but suddenly he knows? My eyes narrow at him, and he swallows hard under my glare. "W-what, my lady?"

Out from the throat, we reach the rib cage, comparison to the throat, his belly is huge and void of organs. We have to be at least six stories high from the floor below which is only piles on piles of bones so small that it can't be of this demon. There, sitting against the spine on a gold circular stand is a thin katana.

It sits, much like King Arthur's sword from the European legends I read about during world history and standing a yard before it, ready to take the challenge like all those knights, is Sesshomaru and Jaken. What's so important about that scrap of metal that Sesshomaru tried killing his brother twice for?

The bird comes to about half at the very top of the rib cage, close enough to one of the ribs for Inuyasha and I to stumble onto before it flies back out the throat of the demon. We both keep close to the bone wall, the brown, grey color reminding me of the hair demons nest of skulls.

"At last I shall take possession of the sacred sword. The lethal legendary blade, known to kill a hundred in one stroke, Tetsaiga." Sesshomaru's grin turns twisted, he steps up onto the mantel and reaches with his right hand.

"They say it was forced of the fang from your father's own mouth…Once you possess the blade, you possess his power as well." Jaken glistens with happiness.

Sesshomaru's hand clenches around the worn, ragged handle, but instead of the blade releasing from its sleeping place, electricity much like the one he used on Inuyasha burns his hand with bluish flames. He refuses to release his hold, his flesh glows blue for a few seconds, burning from the flames until he finally let's go.

Instantly his flesh looks untouched as he pulls away from the sword completely. "Father has done his work well. The blade has been ensorcelled."

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yells from my side, "We're not finished yet!" He kicks himself off the bone and towards Sesshomaru, throwing a clawed attack as he gets closer. But like last time, his brother is much too fast, and Inuyasha doesn't see his movement until he collides with the bones below.

"Be more respectful! It's our father's tomb." Sesshomaru says, reappearing across the stomach from me.

Inuyasha curses, pushing himself up from the bones, "Look who's talking. You're the one whose robbing his grave!"

"Lord Inuyasha! Do you see it? The blade from your father's fang! Tetsaiga!" Myoga says loud enough to cause an echo and gain everyone's attention to the flea on my shoulder.

"Wha, you mean this piece of junk? It wouldn't even cut butter, hot!"

"Lord Inuyasha, you must draw the sword. If Sesshomaru couldn't, that means it's for you. Your father entrusted the tomb with you, it should be proof enough. Now hurry!"

Inuyasha scoffs at the comment, shaking his head, "For all I care he can keep the rusty piece of junk."

Grumbling, I roll my eyes at Inuyasha ignorance, "Inuyasha!" I snap; both demons look my way. Inuyasha with shock and Sesshomaru with an unpleased expression. "Look what he's done to try and get that damn sword! Mind tricks and emotional warfare. Obviously it means something to him so take it instead. Take what he wants!"

A thoughtful look crosses his face for once, but with my comment, I've earned narrowed daggers from Sesshomaru. I stumble back against the curve of the rib bone just in case he chooses to attack. To my surprise, he stays still, eyes turning to Inuyasha just as he walks up to the blade.

"Oh, I'll do it. If only to see the look on your face." Inuyasha grips the handle, we all lean forward to watch, expecting to see the same fight Sesshomaru had encountered.

Nothing. No electricity, no power, no fight.

"No!" Jaken screams, "Inuyasha is immune to the spell that thwarted Sesshomaru!"

Then Inuyasha starts to pull, at first he only groans, expelling only a small amount of strength until nothing happens. He jumps into using all his strength will both hands, roaring as he's doing so and as he does the pedestal beneath his feet starts to glow a silvery light but seconds pass and it stops. The blade remains stuck in the stone.

Jaken laughs his crazy, annoying laugh, and Inuyasha turns his anger towards Myoga. "Yo, I couldn't pull the sword out, could I?"

Myoga chokes up in fear on my shoulder, hiding behind my neck while he shivers.

"Are you done?" Sesshomaru hisses. The full demon charges like a bull at his brother and I roll my eyes when they go back at it. One throws a punch, the other escapes, the other tries to use a claw attack, the other dodges. If this was their father's sword and neither could pull it, but yet one was the holder of the tomb, what is the missing piece?

Sesshomaru is a demon – like his father and mother. Inuyasha is half demon and half human, this means his mother was human. A demon who loved a human created a hybrid.

Demon. Half Demon…We need a human.

Me.

Hesitantly I step to the edge of the rib bone and calculate the safest way down without killing myself. It's quite a distance, I can really hurt myself pretty badly if I don't soften my landing. The bones below won't help either, they'll move from beneath me or even break when I land, one could go right through me if I land wrong.

Off in the background there is a flurry of red, white and silver and to my right, down below I hear Jaken and his crackly voice annoyingly insulting Inuyasha while he's fighting for his life.

I glare down at him, biting my tongue from saying anything – because in reality. I can use him. I don't bother thinking about it, so I just do it. I jump and aim for that small, ugly demon, both feet pointed for his tiny frame. I land perfectly on top of his body and we both go sliding down the bones a little.

Underneath me, he squeaks and squeals in pain from my weight. I glance over myself, half expecting to find a bone sticking out of me but when I see I am unharmed I smile gleefully that my plan worked. Balancing back to my feet I bolt for the sword.

Stepping up to the plate, praying that I am correct, I wrap my hand around that worn handle and rip the blade with ease right out of its resting spot without even a glow or electricity trying to stop me. It was far easier and quicker than I could ever imagine.

A big smile stretches my cheeks, I peer up at the rusty, chipped blade and am in awe at just how light it is in my grip. Inuyasha may be right about it not cutting butter but I can sense something. A power behind this sword that should be feared or worshipped. Under my fingers it pulses like a heartbeat.

This feels right. Holding this sword, feels right.

Someone clears their throat and I pull my attention from the sword to look around me. Complete silence. Even the two brothers had stopped fighting. They are all staring at something. No.

They are staring at me.