CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Brotherly Hate
Miroku leapt off of Kirara's back as soon as he felt her touch down on the ground. "Toutousai-sama! Are you home?" This of course was a formality as he could already hear the clanging of Toutousai's hammer against the metal of his latest weapon.
"Ah, visitors. Have you come for the axe? I told you that it wouldn't be ready for another three days." The old man held up the half shaped axe in his hands.
"Toutousai-sama, we're friends of Inuyasha. We've come because we have a bit of a problem." Miroku was bowing and speaking as if he was explaining something to a four year old boy.
"Inuyasha……. Inuyasha…… Inuyasha? Oh yes. The little punk that tessaiga chose as its master." Toutousai was scratching his head with the axe. "Has he broken it again?"
Miroku recalled the time that a demon named Goshinki bit through the tessaiga. It had been Toutousai who had repaired the tessaiga that time. He surely was very good with swords. If anyone could help them it would be him.
"No….. You see Toutousai-sama, Inuyasha was involved in a battle with a demon that possessed a powerful sword……." Miroku explained what had happened to Inuyasha to the best of his knowledge. He knew that if Toutousai was going to help them he needed to know everything.
"Hmmmm….. You say that his soul has been grasped by the blade in his heart?" Toutousai rubbed his chin as he looked interestedly at the couple in front of him. Kirara had remained outside with the sleeping kitsune.
Miroku nodded his head to show that Toutousai had hear right. "Please Toutousai-sama. If you can help us in any way we would be very grateful."
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do." The sincerity in Toutousai's voice showed Miroku that this was true. "The tessaiga transforms for me because Inuyasha's father granted me the power to handle it for reparation purposes. I cannot handle a youkai blade that I have not made." Toutousai sat in silence as Inuyasha's friends drank in the cruel reality of it all. They had traveled all the way to his home in vain. There was nothing he could do.
Sango was finding it a bit difficult to breathe. She was suddenly felling very angry towards Toutousai.
'That old man just doesn't want to help.' She thought to herself.
"Is there any one you know that can pull that sword from Inuyasha's chest without killing him?" Sango looked sideways at Miroku. His stern but calm expression put her at ease. He wasn't giving up on his friends so she shouldn't either.
"The only one that can pull out that sword is the one who made it." Toutousai was looking at the two and realized this was no help to them after their gazes once again sank to the ground.
Sesshoumaru was looking down on tessaiga. The blade was pulsing madly and vibrating as its aura collided with that of tenseiga's. Sesshoumaru's own blade was also shaking as he held tightly to keep it quiet. He removed the blade from its sheath.
"This is really quite a waste of time, but it's the only way to get some answers." His voice was annoyed as Sesshoumaru brandished his blade over the hanyou's body. The blue aura of tenseiga gleamed ever powerful as it hovered over Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru squinted slightly as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of his sword.
'The power radiating off tenseiga is unimaginable. Is it because Inuyasha is holding onto tessaiga?' Sesshoumaru looked down and his eyes widened.
His lips parted softly and he uttered, "Nothing."
Sango and Miroku had left Toutousai's cave with heavy hearts. By this time Shippou had already woken up and was asking a wide array of questions.
"Where's Kagome? Where's Inuyasha? Where are we going?"
Miroku answered the little kitsune's questions with the patience of a saint. Of course everything he said was a lie.
"Kagome and Inuyasha are back in Kagome's time. We are on our way back to the village to wait for them. They'll be back soon."
Sango looked forward as she racked her brain. Perhaps they could beat up Naraku until he removed the sword himself. A tiny smirk played on her face as mental images of a mangled Naraku taking the sword from her friend's chest ran through her head.
"Sango?" Shippou was looking up at Sango. "Yes?" Sango turned slightly to see the tiny kitsune out of the corner of her eye.
"How long will Kagome and Inuyasha be gone?"
Sango's smirk left her face. "Soon Shippou. Be patient."
Sesshoumaru looked with a blank expression at his tenseiga. Usually when he summoned its power the tenseiga would show him clearly the beasts of the underworld that intended to take the soul to hell. The tenseiga was then capable of cutting up these creatures with a single swing. This time though, there was nothing to be seen.
"Can it be?" Sesshoumaru was now gazing upon the sword imbedded in his brother's chest. He made to pull at it but Kagome jumped in front of him.
"Move." He stated simply.
"No. If you pull it out he will die." Kagome refused to budge, but it was nothing for the doge demon to shove her aside. Kagome fell hard on the ground but was quick to get back up and try to pull Sesshoumaru from the blade that could mean Inuyasha's death.
As Sesshoumaru grasped the hilt of naraken he felt the dark power surround his very being. It was an unbridled energy with much potential. Slowly it crept through his body threatening to engulf his very being….. But the white demon had other plans.
"How conceited." With an amazing display of prowess Sesshoumaru overcame the advancing youki. A thin shield of energy lingered over his body for a few seconds then dissipated into the wind. The blade which had endangered his life was now out of demon power. Slowly Sesshoumaru tugged at the blade and pulled it out of his brother's body. The sleek red of Inuyasha's blood covered the bottom half of the demon sword. After pulling it completely out Sesshoumaru put it up to his nose. His nostrils flared lightly and he dropped it on the ground.
"Naraku."
The white demon turned to walk away at the same time that the hanyou's eyes fluttered open. Instantly Inuyasha's tessaiga transformed and he used it to prop himself up. In a daze of confusion the hanyou found himself surrounded by a white streak of cloth. Kagome had wrapped her arms around him.
"Are you ok? Baka! I have half a mind to kill you!"
With all of the apprehension in her voice Kagome still didn't let go. Tears of relief streamed down her face. Inuyasha stared around like a lost puppy.
"What happened?"
Out of the corner of his eye Inuyasha spotted Sesshoumaru walking away. Instantly he jumped up and flared his tessaiga in front of him. At the same time he stepped forward and hit something with his foot. Under his foot was the naraken. Images started pouring into the hanyou's head. The last attack…. The demon defeated…. The blade in his chest. Inuyasha unconsciously brought a hand up to his heart.
'Right there'
He looked up at Sesshoumaru. The white demon had turned around and was now facing his brother.
"Inuyasha…. Don't be so stupid as to get yourself killed. Only I may take your life." With that the white youkai turned back around and walked away into the forest.
"Asshole." Inuyasha scowled after his brother. To think that his life was just saved by someone that he hated so much. Inuyasha dusted himself off. Kagome wouldn't let him go so it proved to be a bit difficult. After dusting off the hanyou stared into the forest where Sesshoumaru had just disappeared and thought to himself.
'I think I would have preferred to stay dead.'
He stared down at the raven haired girl clutching at his himono. "Hey Kagome…. Where is everybody?"
Kagome heard her name and looked up into Inuyasha's golden eyes. A warm feeling rushed over her entire body. She recalled all of the things she had been thinking about.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha spoke again and knocked her out of her pensive state. Kagome focused on him again and nodded.
"What the hell does that mean?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her. Kagome felt herself flush from head to toe.
"I'm sorry….. What was the question?" Again the hanyou cocked an eyebrow at the miko.
"Everyone….. Where is everyone?" Kagome's mind clicked as the question set in. She looked around a bit.
'That's right! Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kirara all went to see Toutousai. Man are they going to get the surprise of a lifetime when they came back and see Inuyasha up and about.'
Little did she know that her friends didn't intend to come back without help. Miroku and Sango were racking their brains and trying to figure out a plan to do something about Inuyasha's situation. As Kirara flew over a dense forest they scanned the surrounding area for any signs of someone that could maybe give them a hand…….. Kagura.