Okay guys, what happened? I just returned from another trip and I found that only two of you all left a review. That really is a let down but I hope you all had your reasons for your absences.
Anyways, now that I'm home again, it is time to write. This is a chapter I wrote before I left for my trip, but I couldn't submit it before because I didn't have any access to the internet from where a was.
Hope this would receive more reviews. Thank you HINAGIkU and Zero-Nightmare for your reviews, and thank you Miss Megz for your help.
Now, enjoy!
"Guys!" A feminine voice called. Tsukune and the rest looked up, finding Ruby flying towards them. The long, dark haired witch landed in front of the group, looking at them with concern in her eyes. "The headmaster is calling for you; we have to go to the forest behind the main building now."
"Did he find where Sesshomaru-sama is?" Kokoa asked, jumping ahead towards Ruby. The whole group was hoping for the same thing, but they sighed when the older witch shook her head.
"No. But he mentioned someone who might know about Tenseiga's released energy from last night," Ruby informed.
"What? Who is it?" Tsukune asked.
"The demon that forged Tenseiga," Ruby said. The group was shocked by that. Of course! Who could understand the situation better than the man that made the healing sword? Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, Mizore, Ruby and Kokoa already knew that demon, even though they had only seen him in Sesshomaru's memories.
"You mean… Totosai-ji-san?" Moka asked, remembering the old monster. Ruby nodded.
"But why does the headmaster want us to go behind the main building instead of going to look for that man?" Kurumu asked. Ruby shrugged.
"That doesn't matter right now," Kallen said, walking towards the dead forest, "if he called us there is because we have to do something in that place." Kokoa was the first one to follow her, so did Gin. Tsukune and the girls looked at each other, trying to decide what to do silently. "Won't you learn your lesson already!" They turned to see how Kallen kicked the werewolf right in the chin with enough force to send him up into the sky until he was no longer visible
"That pervert never learns, desu," Yukari sighed.
"That was something not even Gin-senpai will forget," Kurumu opined. They waited, seeing if the man was ever going to fall, if he lives to remember it."
After a few seconds, the decided that they had nothing better to do than to find their lost friend, so they ran until they caught up with the lavender haired vampire and her younger sister. They were all tired and preoccupied, which explained Kallen's "exaggerated" reaction; she just wasn't in the mood to tolerate perverts that time; and since they didn't need Gin anymore…
They made their way to the back of the main building in silence, each one of them wondering about what the chairman could want with them there. They had to look for Totosai's whereabouts if they wanted to fully understand the situation. But where should they look? Maybe that was what the headmaster wanted to tell them.
But why behind the main building of the academy?
"Wait a minute," Tsukune said out loud, making the girls to turn towards him, "Totosai-sama was already very old back in Sesshomaru-san's time. How do we know if he is still even alive?" That was a point.
"Ayashi are able to live hundreds of years," Ruby explained, "even if he was already an old man five hundred years ago, there's still the possibility, even a very little one, for him to be alive nowadays."
"Who is that Totosai anyways?" Kallen asked, she just knew that that man was Tenseiga's forger, nothing else.
"Totosai is the demon that was under Sesshomaru-sama's father's orders," Kokoa explained, "he's the one that forged his two swords."
"He forged Bakusaiga as well?" Kallen asked.
"No. She meant the two swords that belonged to Sesshomaru-san's father," Tsukune answered, "the other sword's name is Tessaiga. Unlike Tenseiga, that sword is able to kill, and is very powerful. Both swords were made from one of Sesshomaru-san's father's fangs." Kallen nodded, amazed.
"When Sesshomaru-san's father died, he expected to inherit Tessaiga, but received Tenseiga instead. The other sword was given to Sesshomaru-san's younger brother, Inuyasha," Moka informed. Kallen had already heard about the Hanyou brother of the silver haired man. "After that, Sesshomaru spent many years looking for the location of Tessaiga, which was hidden from him inside his father's tomb. It was not until he forgot about that sword that he obtained Bakusaiga, which is a sword of his own."
They related some of the things they had seen from the Daiyoukai's memories, such as the immense power of Tessaiga and some of the fights Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had had for it, or what the silver haired demon went through to complete Tenseiga's fighting form with the Meidou Zangetsuha, which he had to give to Inuyasha.
"In the end, it was Sesshomaru-sama who gave up on Tessaiga, leaving it all in the hands of his half brother," Kokoa finished. Kallen was really amazed by the story. From what she had heard, she could tell that both Sesshomaru's parents were very powerful, even his Hanyou brother seemed very strong. But she still didn't know how was that Sesshomaru had obtained Bakusaiga, and was about to ask about it when she realized they were already standing in front of the Headmaster.
Mikogami was standing in the middle of a strange circle drawn in the dirt. The perimeter of the form was composed by really creepy looking symbols. Kallen, Ruby and Yukari were able to identify them.
"What is this?" Kallen asked, suspiciously. Those symbols were commonly used in black magic; she had seen them a couple of times, especially when she traveled to the underworld. Ruby and Yukari, being the ones expert on those signs, knew the Headmaster's intentions right away.
"He's going to do an invocation," Ruby informed. The dark haired teenager turned towards them.
"Like when Wong Fong Fong summons his servants?" He asked.
"No, this is different, desu," Yukari answered, "those runes are used to summon spirits from the other world." The human and the other girls, except for Ruby, gasped. The white dressed man chuckled evilly.
"That's right," he confirmed. Looking closely, Tsukune saw that he had his crystal ball in his left hand and Tenseiga in the other. Lillith was also there, sitting on Mikogami's shoulder. "No matter what I did, I couldn't locate Sesshomaru and the fact the black crystal is not able to find him either only leaves one option."
"Is he dead?" Mizore asked, as it was nothing. Her usual cold expression didn't allow the rest to see her preoccupation. Kokoa jumped and faced the snow woman, growling.
"What are you talking about!" She demanded, "Sesshomaru-sama is not someone who would die out of nothing!" Kallen noted that her redheaded sister was trembling, scared as hell of that possibility.
"And, if that was the case, I should be able to find him even in the realm of dead," the chairman assured. The group focused on him again, listening to what he was saying closely. "The only option that's left is that Sesshomaru is inside a whole new dimension." The group gasped at that.
"What!" They asked together, "how's that even possible!" The headmaster chuckled and showed them the healing sword.
"Tenseiga?" Tsukune asked. Kallen came up with something.
"You mean the wave of power we felt last night?" The lavender haired vampire asked. "You think it could be related to his disappearance?"
"There's one person that could answer that with no doubt," Mikogami said, and then it hit them.
"Totosai-jii-san," Moka said. The headmaster smiled evilly.
"That's right. But the old swords maker died long ago, so the only way to contact him is calling him to come here," slowly, the chairman raised the hand that held the crystal ball, "but, as spirits can't be seen in this world just like that, the use of special magic is necessary. Come inside the circle."
None of the students moved at first, it was after Kallen and Ruby made their way into the circle that the rest joined them. Tsukune gasped once he stepped over the line of runes. All that surrounded them disappeared, leaving the entire group standing inside a dark dome. They were only able to see the others from the groups.
"What's happening?" Kurumu asked, nervous. She still used the opportunity to embrace the human boy.
"We're in a summoned section of the limbo," Ruby explained, "while we're here, we'll be able to see spirits with no problem." Before them, Mikogami's crystal ball began to glow white, bathing them with the light, but not the darkness that surrounded them. The new fount of light allowed them to see what watched them from the darkness, though, at first, it seemed like a type of fog, but after looking closer, the students saw faces forming in it.
"What are those?" Kokoa asked, with her jaw clenched.
"Spirits trapped in the limbo, desu," Yukari answered. Tsukune furrowed his brows.
"Trapped?" He asked. The younger witch nodded.
"Yes. Those are the essences of living that won't be able to reach an end after dying," Ruby explained, "there's no Heaven or Hell for any of those, so they will never rest in peace or be able to reborn. They'll stay trapped in here forever."
The human gasped; what a cruel fate it was.
"Look at that," Kallen signaled. Tsukune turned towards the headmaster again, noting the white mist that came out from his crystal ball. Soon, the mist concentrated, forming a sphere of a baseball size. After a few seconds, the ball extended, taking a shape several of them were able to recognize, especially after the white color of the mist changed. "Is that… Totosai?" The lavender haired vampire asked. In front of them, floating next to the headmaster was an old man with huge eyes, shaggy clothes and a big hammer.
"Ahhh? Where am I?" Totosai asked, looking around with curiosity, "I thought I was finally resting."
"I was the one that called you here, Master Totosai," Mikogami explained, "we have a situation here that requires your presence." Totosai was looking around, ignoring the white dressed man completely.
"Did I do something wrong and I was kicked out from the monster's graveyard?" he asked himself, unaware of the presence of all the students, "last thing I remember is that I was floating through a dense mist before I reached Inu no Taisho-sama's tomb."
"Uhm… that's why I'm telling you that it was I who summoned you here," the headmaster explained again, but Totosai ignored him again.
"I wonder what this place is," the old demon asked, scratching the back of his head. Mikogami sighed.
"Ehm… excuse me, Totosai-sama?" Tsukune tried, taking a few steps forward. The old demon reacted and turned to face the human boy.
"Huh? Who are you and when did you get here?" He asked. Everyone sweat dropped.
"My name is Aono Tsukune and these are my friends," Tsukune answered, showing him the group of girls, "we called you here because we need your help." Totosai tilted his head.
"My help?" He asked. Tsukune nodded.
"You see, our friend Sesshomaru-san is missing and we hoped for you to help us to find him," the human boy explained. Totosai raised his hand towards his chin.
"Sesshomaru?" He asked, and then closed his eyes. "Sesshomaru? Where have I heard that name before?" The group widened their mouths. Was that really the demon that forged the unique sword known as Tenseiga? Mikogami took a couple of steps forward, and just then Totosai became aware of his presence.
"I believe you are familiar with this sword, master Totosai," the chairman said, showing the healing sword to the spirit.
"Oh, that's Tenseiga," the sword maker said, as nothing, and then looked at the white dressed man, "but how is it that you have it? That sword belongs to Sesshomaru."
"Wasn't he just wondering about who Sesshomaru-san is desu?" Yukari asked, whispering. Certainly, they were loosing their patience with that old, exasperating demon.
"That's the thing. Sesshomaru-san had it until last night," Moka advanced, attracting the attention of the swords forger. "He just disappeared with his other sword, Bakusaiga, but Tenseiga was left behind." Totosai narrowed his eyes, rubbing his chin again.
"What? Do you know what happened to Sesshomaru-sama?" Kokoa asked. Totosai closed his eyes completely, trying hard to focus on the problem.
"Sesshomaru?" He asked, opening his eyes again and looking up. "Why does that name rings a bell?" The group collapsed forward. Once they were up on their feet again, Tsukune and the rest turned around to face Kokoa, who was growling dangerously.
"This old fart is playing with us," she said, wrapping her fingers around Ko, the bat that was perched on her shoulder. Ko changed its form, transforming into a sharp, long sword. Before anyone could stop her, she leaped forward against the old demon, swinging her weapon. To the surprise of the entire group, Totosai used the long handle of his hammer to block the attack. He really had moved with a speed they never would have associated to someone of his age.
"A morphing weapon, huh?" The old demon observed, taking the sword from the redheaded vampire's hands. Totosai looked at the blade closely, gaining an air of seriousness that left the viewers completely paralyzed, "very sharp and resistant, it gains more power if the carrier is strong. This one here can still gain a lot of force." In front of them, Totosai raised his hammer and delivered a blow onto the sword's blade, transforming it back into the bat. Even though they had seen that already, watching it first hand was really amazing. Totosai just gave the sword a little look and discovered its properties, "but no matter how strong this kind of weapon is, it still cannot kill me, because I'm already dead."
Ko flew back onto Kokoa's shoulder. The redheaded vampire was growling furiously.
"Tenseiga could kill you," she said, eyeing the healing sword evilly. Totosai seemed surprised.
"Huh? How do you know about Tenseiga?" He asked. Mikogami coughed, making the old spirit to look at him. The white dressed man showed him the sword again. "Oh, Tenseiga. How is it that you have it? That sword belongs to Sesshomaru," he said.
"We know that. Actually, we called you here because the owner of this sword is missing." Totosai seemed confused.
"And what does that have to do with me?" The spirit asked.
"We felt how Tenseiga pulsated last night. It emitted a huge wave of holy energy and Sesshomaru vanished," Kallen explained, "so we think that the sword could have something to do about his disappearance."
"Ah… well, let's check it out," Totosai said, grabbing the healing sword from Mikogami's hand and unsheathing it. Just as he did with Ko, he looked at Tenseiga's blade closely, "huh? Oh, I see. But that's strange; I thought this had happened long before my death."
"What? What is it?" Kokoa demanded.
"It is as you said," Totosai confirmed, looking at Kallen. "Tenseiga was what made Sesshomaru disappear." The group gasped.
"Then where is he?" Kurumu asked.
"Inside Tenseiga," the sword forger told them.
"What!" They asked at the same time, "why?"
"Because there's something that needs to be done," Totosai answered, like nothing, "although I don't feel like explaining it right now."
"What a childish old man, desu," Yukari opined.
"At least we know where he is," Ruby commented, "but how do we get him out of the sword?"
"You can't do anything," Totosai answered, "he's the only one who can make his way out from the blade." A worried expression appeared in their faces.
"Is he okay?" Tsukune asked. Totosai looked at him once again and widened his eyes.
"Wait, you're a human," he said, and then looked at him with a curious expression. "Why would a human be interested in someone like Sesshomaru?"
"Because he's our friend," he answered. Totosai was taken aback by his answer.
"Well, we'll have to see," Totosai said, finally. Then he lifted his hammer and hit the sacred blade with it. Their surroundings changed. The dark soil transformed into a green field, with the blue sky over it. The group found itself standing in the middle of a valley.
"What is this?" Kurumu asked. All of them were looking around, trying to recognize their new position.
"Look over there," Kallen signaled. The group turned and located what she found. A lonely boy, no older than nine, was standing on the grass, enjoying the fresh breeze. He was dressed in a white haori and black boots. His long, silver hair waved gently as he watched the great, glowing lake far ahead. Although all of them already suspected who that kid was, they confirmed it when the boy turned to face them, showing them the magenta stripes on his cheeks and the blue, crescent moon on his forehead. "It can't be."
"That's… Sesshomaru-sama?" Kokoa asked, unable to believe it.