Chapter Seventeen:
Partnership of Tenseiga and Tetsutouga
Wind began to swirl around Takara and the sword. The wind grew more and more fierce, tossing her long white and gold hair around her face.
When she felt it was time, she started to call out the ultimate attack of her sword, when suddenly the winds reversed on her. With a cry she flew backwards, hit a tree, and fell to her knees. Standing on the other side of the clearing, Michiomaru lowered his arms.
~He turned my own attack against me?~ she thought. She attempted to stand, and a felt a jolt of pain. ~I cannot go on much longer.~
Her golden eyes turned red, and she forced herself to her feet. Summoning her strength, she prepared to transform into her true youkai form.
Suddenly, she felt a pulse at her waist. Looking down, she realized the Tenseiga had come to life, and was beginning to pulse.
~What? There is no death around here. Why has Tenseiga awoken?~
She looked back at Michiomaru, and the sword continued to pulse. Suddenly, she could hear his words echo in her ears.
{"His essence, his very soul is within me."}
~Every youkai he's ever defeated has had their essence absorbed into him,~ She thought. ~Their powers and strengths are in him. Even their souls.~
Takara's eyes returned to gold. She sheathed Tetsutouga, and then drew Tenseiga. The sword pulsed in her hand, demanding to be used. Nodding slightly, she knew she had to accept what the sword was telling her.
"You are nothing without the strengths of the youkai you have defeated," Takara told Michiomaru. "You are a coward, calling upon the powers of others in order to win your own battles. I shall fight you now, not them."
She ran towards him, and brought Tenseiga down in a large slash across his body. Michiomaru stumbled backwards, and then cried out, falling to his knees.
"No!" he cried. His body began to glow brightly, and the glow intensified until it shot away from him in every direction. Suddenly, Michiomaru transformed into his true youkai form – a giant snake.
"How pathetic," Takara spat. "You are nothing but a low life daija youkai. Without the souls of those you have defeated, you don't even have the power to sustain a humanoid form. And to think, it was you who defeated the great Sesshoumaru, and nearly defeated me as well."
She returned Tenseiga to its sheath, and then once again drew Tetsutouga. "You don't deserve to feel the true power of Tetsutouga, but because you have caused me so much trouble, I will let you feel it."
She once again raised the sword above her head, and the winds began to swirl around her.
"No!" Michiomaru bellowed. "You cannot defeat me! I am great! I am Michiomaru, destroyer of all! You will never defeat me!"
Takara felt the winds reach the correct power.
"Sankon Kaze!" she yelled, and brought the Tetsutouga down. The winds turned into a horizontal tornado, and Takara heard Michiomaru cry out as he was torn apart by the Tetsutouga's full power. The winds slowly died down, and nothing remained of the great daija that had caused so much trouble.
"It is over," she breathed. She could feel her body already working to heal her left arm, which the energy had left lifeless. She sheathed Tetsutouga, and turned to go.
"Takara…"
Her ears twitched, and her eyes widened slightly. Spinning her head this way and that, she looking for the source of the voice. She was alone. A gentle wind ruffled her hair from behind, and she heard the voice a second time.
"Takara…"
With a trembling voice, she replied, "Who's there?"
The voice was silent, and the wind began to die down again. She looked down at the healing sword at her side, and she remembered what she had done. Tenseiga had released the souls Michiomaru held in his body. But Tenseiga was a healing sword that brought life.
Takara gasped.
"Otousan!"