"Chichi-ue, if you don't wish to speak with me I could leave." Sesshoumaru spoke quietly from the other side of the shoji screen.
"Oh! I'm quite sorry Sesshoumaru I didn't hear you arrive. We appear to have gone off on quite the tangent." Lord Nishi beckoned his son to sit beside him. "I tend to get carried away with my studies. Since we're on the topic, what have you been studying lately Sesshoumaru?"
"I… I haven't been. I've been focusing on my sword technique."
"Practicing with a sword is studying something. The motions you go through are ingrained in history, and have been practiced by all the great sword fighters of the past. I wish some people took as much care with their swords." Nishi ended by looking disappointedly at Inuyasha.
"What? I've been in quite a few battles and my sword…"
"Is a rusted, chipped, dented piece of trash. I have half a mind to get rid of it."
"No! I need that sword! It's more then it looks like!"
"It looks like junk." Nishi declared as he pulled the Tessuiga from where it rested behind a trunk. "How can this blade be of any use?"
"It is a disgrace indeed." Sesshoumaru agreed.
"Unsheathe it then, and hold it ready." Inuyasha challenged Sesshoumaru. "Show me what you've been practicing."
"Alright, but this pathetic sword won't do it justice." Sesshoumaru pulled the rusty blade from its wax sheathe. He swung it in a high arc, and then cut down and around. "It has surprisingly good balance for a rotting piece of junk."
"Pretend it doesn't look like crap. Put your heart into it, and swing that sword as you would a decorated blade, studded with pearls and edged with gold. It has a hilt warm with Oyajii's fur, and a blade that pulses with power." As Inuyasha spoke, a skeptical Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and performed the slow careful moves of a fighter in training. Suddenly Lord Nishi yipped and cried out.
"What an amazing blade! Does the sword react to its holder or is it always like this?" Sesshoumaru opened his eyes to see a partially transformed Tessuiga, and smiled at the meaning behind his Chichi-ue's words.
"It reacts to the holder. He can't use it that way; it still wouldn't cut or use its true power. The secret to its use is intricate. I am its master. Come, Tessuiga!" With the last command the sword blazed with light and slipped out of Sesshoumaru's grasp like air. It sped into Inuyasha's hand and instantly transformed into its full form. "This is a deadly blade, or a harmless one. It depends on your intentions, spirit, and trust. I trust Tessuiga to protect me and mine, and I never use it for sport. I use it to kill those who endanger me, and protect the weak. Damn it I told you to hit me when I start babbling like that!"
"It didn't sound like babbling to me, it sounded like a man proud of his weapon."
"Sesshoumaru's is powerful as well. He had it made specifically to beat me and this sword. It isn't the same though. His sword possessed a deadly evil aura when it was first forged. Tessuiga has always seemed, I don't know, somewhat friendly to me. Its aura is calm, yet fiercely protective. Your sword is fierce and powerful, it doesn't let up for anything. There are times when Tessuiga refuses to be used."
"Then my future sword sounds like the better of the two."
"For your uses, maybe it is better. They fit our personalities. You never let up, and will fight whatever crosses your path. You are fierce and deadly, more so then your blade. I enjoy naps in my tree, and I only get down for a good reason. Maybe Tessuiga feels the same was about it's sheathe. If I had a wax bed formed exactly to my body that drained my cares away the way this sheathe contains Tessuiga's power, I don't think I'd get up for any little thing either."
"I doubt that a sword has feelings."
"I don't see how else I can explain it. Sometimes Tessuiga just won't wake up, but it's always there when I need it. Tessuiga will even attack on its own or burn someone who picks it up when they shouldn't. It didn't burn you, Sesshoumaru, because I asked you to unsheathe it. It didn't burn you, Oyajii, either because it likes you or your heart. I think it likes your heart, but it would burn a curious servant."
"What do you mean by 'it likes my heart'?"
"You love someone who will always be weaker then you."
"I don't follow."
"Tessuiga is a guardian sword, and it likes humans. Any human can pick it up, though they can't transform the blade. You can wield the sword because of my mother. I couldn't use it until I promised Kagome that I would protect her. Sesshoumaru, in my time, can use its most basic attack most likely because Tessuiga is made from one of your fangs, Oyajii. Even then Tessuiga dislikes being used by you." Sesshoumaru glared at his brother. It wasn't fair that Inuyasha got a sword made from their father's fang, and he had to wait to have one made well after the fact. He liked the sword. He could feel the power of the sword when it transformed, and it had good balance and swing. It was not a decorated blade, but it was still elegant. Sesshoumaru was so lost in thought that he missed part of the conversation.
"I guess I could get it fixed." He heard Inuyasha say when he came back from his thoughts. "I had it sharpened once a while back by the man who forged it in the first place, but he didn't polish the blade. It also broke once, and he used one of my fangs to stick the pieces together. He didn't clean it up then either. I know it was a bright blade once, but that was a very long time ago."
"Indeed…" Lord Nishi looked thoughtful. "Though I have to wonder about your perception of time, since I ordered that sword forged not an hour before you arrived."
"Nani?!" Two voices chorused.
"Chichi-ue, why would you have my Otouto tell you about the sword in detail if you already know about it?"
"I wanted to know if it was to come out as I expected." Nishi looked back and forth between his sons. "I also found it odd that the Tessuiga's brother has not been mentioned."
"Sesshoumaru has only used it twice that I can tell. Once on an undead cat who existed using the souls of others, and once on the girl I mentioned earlier. He resents it, though he carries it with him at all times."
"This sword has a brother?" Sesshoumaru asked dumbly.
"Yes." Lord Nishi said with a broad smile, showing two new fangs growing in to replace the ones he gave up. "That would be the roar you heard while I was in that meeting, Sesshoumaru."
"That shit fucking hurts."
"I've already commented on your choice of words, Inuyasha. Do control yourself." Lord Nishi gave his younger son a stern look. "Though I must wholeheartedly agree, and I hope I never have to give up another fang in such a way again."
"Well… Sesshoumaru's new sword was made from an Ogre's fang. Smart ass found a way to get a good sword without the pain."
"Then he's the better of the three of us."
"Arigatou, Chichi-ue, in advance."
"This must be quite strange for you, Sesshoumaru, to have to listen to all this talk of your future self and strength."
"Oi, Oyajii I want to ask you something quick before you change the subject. Had you decided what to do with the swords before I came here?"
"Worried that your Oniisan might one day accuse you of convincing me of something? Yes, I was very specific in my instructions about the swords and who they are for. I decided quite some time ago, but I knew I would be unable to fight properly until my fangs grew back. I also expected him to use numbing herbs but he…"
"Yanked 'em out mid-sentence?"
"Yes. He asked me what color he wanted me to wrap the handles with and I began to tell him I hadn't thought about their appearance when he just… I didn't think the old man could move that fast." Nishi shook his head, rubbing his jaw in memory. "Makes me glad I only have two sons, I don't think I could willingly go back there after that for another shot."
"At least you knew he'd be taking your fangs. He just mumbled something about needing more material to work with in order to put the pieces together properly. Then the next thing I know I'm down one fang and he's saying 'I'll bring it to you in three days' as if nothing happened!"
"I'll have to remember not to have any of my fangs made into swords. It sounds like a most unpleasant experience."
"It has its rewards." Inuyasha mused, looking at his sword as if it was his best friend. "What kind of sword do you use now, Sesshoumaru?"
"I use a very old blade that belonged to my mother's father. It is fragile with age, so I could never use it in a fight."
"You could always have it strengthened with one of your fangs." Inuyasha let the sentence hang for a moment. "We could be one big happy fangless family."
"That brings an odd image to mind." Nishi laughed, and after a moment Sesshoumaru did too. It was an oddly reluctant sound, since he had decided not to like his baby brother the moment he found out that the human girl was pregnant, and he knew his mother was listening from just down the hall.
"I think I'll keep my fangs where they are. Maybe if I loose one in a fight I'll have it put into my grandfather's sword. I think his is made of enchanted silver and steel though."
"Girly boy can't take the pain." Inuyasha teased, laughing. "Wow, Sesshoumaru I didn't mean it!" He quickly amended at the death glare he received. "It was a joke. Do I really look like I'm in any shape to pick a fight? My back's being held together with sticky herbs and cloth."
"I do not look like a girl." Sesshoumaru ground out.
"Uh… I think I hit a nerve. If you want to take a cheap shot back at me you can, you know. I'm all for it."
"You are nothing but a filthy half-breed."
"Your brother told you to take a crack at him as an offering of peace; however, that statement is going a bit far!"
"I'm used to it."
"It includes me and one of my wives, and you should not take such an insult lying down." Nishi fumed.
"Until my back is a little better I'm going to take everything lying down, Oyajii. Also, I am a hanyou. Being insulted by that is like being insulted by someone saying you have golden eyes. You do, so it isn't a problem. It's the filthy part that is insulting. I must apologize for the stink of the herbs on my back. I also could use a bath I suppose, once I'm healed up a bit more. Don't get worked up over something I asked for or defend me when I deserve what I've got coming."
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Well that's that. I've got the Kagome side going now, and I'll be posting then chronologically instead of at the end so new readers won't get confused. Some hints on Inuyasha's ailment are to be found in the Kagome equivalent to "It's Best not to Know, Not to Compare" so three more postings and you'll have some smack-me-in-the-face-this-is-easy clues.
