It had looked like a decisive blow: a penetrating thrust to the chest, with poisoned claws. Inuyasha had fallen back, bloody and in obvious pain. That should have been the end of it, but knowing how stubborn Inuyasha could be, Miroku wasn't holding his breath. The hanyou would probably keep fighting until he couldn't stand up anymore. Or died.
This fight was quickly shifting from annoying delay to downright dangerous. If the opponent were not Inuyasha's brother, and also powerful enough to make an escape, Miroku would have been tempted to just use the kazaana to put an end to it. Having lost their jewel shards, they needed to seek more, not get Inuyasha killed in a squabble with his brother.
Toutousai, however, appeared to have other priorities. "Sesshoumaru! You can read the wind scar?" he demanded. He actually sounded impressed.
"Of course. I can read it without any trouble."
Miroku had no idea what they might mean by 'wind scar', but fortunately he wasn't the only one wondering.
"What's the wind scar?" Kagome asked.
"It's Tessaiga's secret power," Toutousai explained. "The proper technique which will unleash its true potential to slay one hundred youkai in a single swing."
"If that's the secret to mastering the sword, then explain it to Inuyasha!" she demanded, sounding utterly exasperated.
Sounding regretful, Toutousai admitted, "I can't. The technique cannot be explained. Inuyasha must discover it for himself."
"Oh no…"
By now Inuyasha had managed to get back to his feet. He held the Tessaiga at the ready, in a visibly unsteady grip.
Miroku kept one eye on the brothers, and one on Sango. He wondered what she made of all this. Did her weapon, also forged from youkai parts, also have a secret technique required for mastery? But she was silent, focusing her attention completely on Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru.
"He doesn't have a clue," Sesshoumaru taunted. For the first time since his return, he lifted the dragon arm to the ready. This time when he swiped at Inuyasha, he drove the hanyou back and back and back with a series of punishing blows that Inuyasha ultimately failed to block with the Tessaiga. His injury was getting to him, Miroku guessed, in which case things were likely to get a whole lot worse in the very near future.
Sesshoumaru must have been just as aware of Inuyasha's deteriorating condition as Miroku was, and now he ruthlessly pressed every advantage he had. Even as he slashed at his brother once more, he chided, "A lowlife half-breed like you cannot hope to master the Tessaiga, even if by sheer chance you've come to possess it."
Inuyasha dived out of the way, barely avoiding being hit. He came up breathing hard and shaking. He was trying valiantly, as he always did, but he was weakening. That he had no more breath for trading insults was telling.
"While you've moved about like a fool, exerting yourself needlessly, the poison has been spreading."
Inuyasha was clearly beginning to falter, either from loss of blood from his wound, or from the infection of Sesshoumaru's poison. He now struggled even to avoid Sesshoumaru's strikes, scrambling to get out of the way and stumbling as he did.
Finally he managed to regain his footing and bring the Tessaiga back around to bear, only to have it dashed aside by another strike from Sesshoumaru. It wasn't looking good; Miroku guessed that the fight would soon be over. In fact, he hoped it would be over soon, and without much more damage done to Inuyasha. The hanyou would be no good to them for a while if he got much more beat up than he already was.
"I can't watch anymore," Sango said suddenly, and Miroku's heart seemed to jump into his throat.
He moved to intercept her, but she had already made the throw. Having seen how the brothers reacted to Toutousai's interference earlier, he hated to think what they might do to Sango if she became yet another distraction. Worse, she'd aimed her throw for Sesshoumaru, who was unlikely to show mercy if she entered the fight.
Fortunately, Inuyasha that saw the hiraikotsu coming and somehow managed to interpose himself between it and his brother, using the Tessaiga to knock it out of the way. "Stay out of this!" he snarled. "I will beat Sesshoumaru with Tessaiga!"
"But—"
Miroku stilled her with a hand on her arm. "I think it's best if we keep quiet and watch, Sango," he told her, keeping his voice low so as not to make the situation worse than it already was. "Even though he's only managed it once so far, Inuyasha does have the potential to master the Tessaiga, but he needs the chance to do it."
"But even when he did master it, wasn't that by accident?" Sango protested.
"Even if it was only by chance, it doesn't mean he's incapable of it," he pointed out.
Sango clearly did not like being asked not to intervene, but at last she subsided into glowering silence. Stopping her from interfering in the fight obviously had not endeared him to her, but at least she was alive to be annoyed with him.
Sesshoumaru was laughing. It was a quiet, ugly sound. "You refuse to be saved? You're going to regret that choice."
"Shut up!" Inuyasha blustered. "I will figure out this wind scar thing, and then you'll be sorry!"
"Don't even bother," Sesshoumaru suggested, lunging forward to grab at the blade with his dragon arm once again.
This time, however, Inuyasha actually managed to surprise his brother. He twisted the blade as Sesshoumaru came at him: the dragon hand went wide, missing the blade, which he then brought down with crushing force on the vulnerable arm. With a single slash, he severed the dragon arm.
Beside Miroku, the girls gasped and exclaimed in surprise. But in front of him, Inuyasha's victory was turned to defeat in an instant. Heedless of the loss of his powerful new arm, Sesshoumaru closed with his brother and slashed for his eyes with his remaining, poison-tipped hand. Inuyasha ducked back in time to avoid taking a full strike to the face, but not fast enough to avoid being splashed with more poison… right in the eyes.
He stumbled back, wiping at his face with a sleeve. He shook his head, eyes red and watering and frighteningly unfocused, his ears twitching with a new franticness.
With dawning horror, Miroku realized, he can't see…