Chapter VII:

Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga:

The Sword of Heaven and the Guardian of Men

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Hiromitsu walked into Totosai's workshop, his red-and-white kimono fluttering in the winter breeze. It had been three weeks since they had arrived in the village of the demon-slayers, and for all that time, Totosai had been working off-and-on on the two magic swords he had promised to the young man. The previous evening, Shigeyuki, Totosai's assistant, had told Hiro that they would finally be ready in the morning.

Hiro, too, had also been keeping himself busy. After two long months chained in the dungeon of the Great Demon Sounga's mountain citadel, he had had a lot of catching up to do with his friends, a group of children who had been orphaned when Sounga's army of undead soldiers had killed off their parents in a ruthless display of force. Having found their way to the village some time before his arrival, the children were all adapting very well to their new surroundings. Many had even been adopted by families within the village, and the new arrivals were praised as a blessing by the local citizens. Some of the older children were also being trained in the fine art of battling supernatural monsters, particularly the living dead that Sounga seemed to favor as frontline troops and skirmishers.

Among these was Midoriko, the oldest of Hiromitsu's friends - and perhaps something more, as well. Ever since their reunion, the two had been inseparable, and ever since Midoriko had volunteered to become an apprentice swordswoman, Hiromitsu had made a point of always practicing at her side, and the two of them were becoming able warriors. Sometimes, they would walk just outside the village gates - with the guards' permission, of course - and sit on the grassy hill leading up to the town wall, just talking and staring up at the clouds, with Midoriko cradling her baby brother, Masuo, as they drank in the beautiful winter landscape. It was the best, most peaceful time in Hiro's life, and he wouldn't have traded his time with Midoriko for all the gold and treasures in the world.

Now, as he walked into Totosai's smoky blacksmithing shop, Hiromitsu's thoughts were drawn to another, stranger girl he had met during his time as Sounga's prisoner: Saeko, the blind, undead seer who had told him of her visions about Sounga's downfall, and about how he, Hiromitsu, would be the one to finally slay the evil Great Demon with a pair of magic swords. Although neither he nor Totosai were quite sure that Saeko's predictions had been accurate - he had already fought Sounga once, and had lost badly - they had both agreed that, on the off chance that she had been right, Totosai should take two of Hiromitsu's fangs and use them to help create a pair of unique weapons for him. Hiro's canine teeth had since grown back, but he still thought constantly about what they were being used for.

As he approached, Totosai looked up from his anvil, a long-handled hammer in hand, covered in soot and smiling broadly. "Ah, Hiromitsu!" he said, clapping the younger demon on the shoulder, "It's good to see you, boy!" By now, the old fire-demon had put on some much-needed weight and muscle, though he still resembled a child's stick-figure. He had also cut his iron-gray hair and tied it into a topknot. The overall effect was that he looked years younger and in much better health.

He led Hiro over to a rack on one of the walls, where two swords hung in their sheaths. Picking up one of them, Totosai held it out to Hiro with the hilt facing the young man. "This was the first one I made for you. It's designed primarily for defense; while it cuts like any other sword, it can also put up a barrier strong enough to block just about anything, and can be used to heal even fatal injuries."

"How can a sword heal people?" Hiro said skeptically, drawing the weapon from its sheath and examining the long, slim, normal-looking blade. "I thought they could only be used for fighting."

"Not exactly," relplied Totosai. "In the case of a normal steel blade, you'd be right, but you have to remember that this sword is made with a part of your body, so it will respond to your will. Just focus some of your own life force through it, and this sword will heal any wound, and can even resurrect a person if their soul is still present within their body."

Hiro was appalled. "You mean, this thing could turn corpses into the living dead, just like Sounga's sword?"

"No, no! Nothing like that! If you bring someone back to life with this sword, they'll be completely healed, without becoming undead creatures. In fact, this blade can completely destroy the living dead, freeing their souls and returning their bodies to a lifeless state."

Hiro sighed with relief. "So, what do you call it?" he asked.

"Its name is Tenseiga, the Sword of Heaven," Totosai said. "Just as Sounga's blade is made from the fang of a demon dragon and possesses power over the underworld, the Tenseiga represents positive energy, and draws its power from both its wielder and from those who share an emotional bond with him."

Hiromitsu hefted the Tenseiga, now filled with a new respect for the exquisite weapon. It was perfectly balanced, and as Hiro followed Totosai's instructions and directed a small measure of his energy through it, the blade actually began to glow, giving off a bright, blue-white light. "Wow," he said, wide-eyed with awe, "this will be perfect against Sounga's army. No wonder he had you locked up in that dungeon; if you had made a dozen of these, all the undead soldiers in the world would be totally useless."

"Actually, it has more to do with your natural ability," Totosai replied. "It's only because your life energy is so strong that the Tenseiga has so much power to draw upon, and that's the only reason I could give it all the capabilities it's got. Even with that tiny tooth you gave me, there's enough power in the sword itself to save a hundred men or slay a hundred undead warriors with one Dragon Strike attack, and in your hands, it'll be even stronger."

"Dragon Strike attack?"

"Yes, that's what I call it when you channel as much power through the blade as it will take and unleash it all at once. It will only stun humans or other living creatures, but it can do some serious damage against evil spirits or the living dead."

As Hiromitsu sheathed the Tenseiga, Totosai picked up the second sword and held it out to him, as well. "Now," he said, "this sword is strictly an offensive weapon, in case you actually have to face Sounga or other living beings in combat. Be careful as you pull it out, though; the blade is bigger than you'd think from looking at its sheath."

As Hiromitsu was trying to figure out what Totosai meant, he drew the sword - and nearly fell over as a huge blade almost a foot wide and five feet long emerged from the sheath, glowing with golden energy. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Totosai, what the heck is it?"

"This is the Tetsusaiga, the Guardian of Men," Totosai replied proudly, "and the most powerful weapon I've ever had the opportunity to work on. It requires more life force from its owner than the Tenseiga, but its attacks are far more powerful. It draws on its user's raw emotional energy, then channels and amplifies it. Its size when unsheathed is dependent on how much available energy the wielder has, and in your case, that's a lot. It has two main attacks: Wind Scar, which releases your energy directly at an opponent; and Backlash Wave, which can send the energy of an opponent's attack right back at them, with a little something extra."

"This is incredible!" Hiromitsu said, placing a second hand on the Tetsusaiga's long handle. When he lifted the blade, he discovered that it was much lighter than it looked at first glance, though its sheer size still made it unwieldy. Even so, after moving the sword through a few simple exercises, Hiro found that he could control the giant blade like an extension of his own body - which, in a way, it was. And he could actually feel the power of this sword in his hands, pulsing like a living thing, ready to be used if necessary.

"Oh, by the way," Totosai said, "both of the sheaths can create a protective barrier. I also put sealing charms on both swords. They can only be used by you or a close blood relative, so Sounga won't be able to use them against you. And, if everything works as I think it should, the positive aura those swords put out should take some of the sting out of Sounga's attacks. 'Course, it also works the other way around, so you'd be better off using both swords at once if you have to come up against him, or Sounga's negative energy might weaken your own attacks, as well."

"Wow!" Hiromitsu said, placing the Tetsusaiga back in its modest-looking sheath, watching as the enormous sword actually shrank back down to fit inside it. "Totosai, these are perfect! Thank you!"

"Just don't get cocky, boy. I still don't know how effective their aura will be or whether either one is a match for Sounga's blade, so let's hope we never get into a situation where you have to find out."

Hiro wanted to agree with Totosai's sentiment, but the truth was that a part of him wanted to fight the Great Demon. Heck, somebody had to do it, or else Sounga would just keep right on killing people, ruling the eastern islands with a heart devoid of mercy or compassion. He had already caused immeasurable suffering, and deep down, Hiromitsu wanted to be the one to knock the big, ugly creep down a few pegs.

Tying the two swords to his waist, he bowed deeply to Totosai, then walked back out through the door of the workshop, passing Shigeyuki on the way out. He had been planning to spend some time with Midoriko on the training field at the center of town, but having seen and felt the power of Totosai's new swords, he had a feeling that using them anywhere inside the village was much too dangerous. He got permission from the sentries, then ran out through the town gate, with one particular field already in mind.

He had some serious practicing to do...

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Author's Notes/ "Bonus Material"

-Character Design

At last, we see Hiromitsu in his trademark white-and-red kimono! Everyone knows his legendary magic swords, Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga, and in this chapter, Hiro finally gets them, taking him one big step closer to becoming the Great Dog-Demon we're familiar with.

Also, we see Totosai in the form he'll stay in for the next four centuries: an old, thin fire-demon with a mustauche and topknot, wielding a long-handled hammer.

-Plot Development

This is pretty much another chapter of exposition, laying down the rules by which Hiro's swords operate. It also shows his progression from the brash young fighter he was at the beginning of the story into a serious warrior. He's becoming less of a loner and more of a contributing member of society, which will eventually develop into a full-fledged leadership role in later stories.

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