A/N: Oh Yeah, I'm back everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I have some new ideas now after watching all four of the InuYasha movies six times each (thank you very much.)
Disclaimer: Don't own much, except Saizu, and parts of the plot. The rest follows the InuYasha the sword of an honorable ruler, and pieces of the manga and anime series. And yes, I have already said this.
Chapter Four: Two Old men's word
The air was cold; the bitter wind blew hard shifting the scents of the forest. An elderly man stroked his gray beard gently he sat in deep thought Indian style, one leg over the other, contemplating his sudden fear. Inu-no-Taishou's scent was strong in the air, he knew it all too well, and there was no doubt in his mind that it was him.
"Hm, Momo I have a feeling that the master is trying to connect with us." The blacksmith said looking over at his grazing three-eyed cow. The black cow didn't seem interested in what his owner had to say; he let out a small moo then continued to chew the grass that was in his mouth.
"This is very bad." He said finally. "I suppose we should find InuYasha and tell him of the news, before that pup gets into to trouble."
----
Saizu froze; she could feel a new burning sensation inside her. Koga glanced over his shoulder hoping to see what was wrong with the young women. She groaned loudly clutching her chest; her very touch heated the wolf demons skin where her hand resided.
Something made her twitch, which caused Koga to stop abruptly and set her down, 'this is so weird, what am I feeling?' she thought as the intrusive feeling rose. Koga said something but Saizu zoned out, the feeling continued to build up inside her. On a whim she instinctively ducked her head low, hearing a swift whoosh above her.
She heard a snarl behind, and quickly noted that it was Koga. Her fast reflexes obviously just saved her from something dangerous, she'd been feeling the aura of what ever created the sudden 'whoosh' for going on an hour now. She would have mentioned it sooner, but she didn't know exactly how to explain the feeling herself.
"Step back!" Koga barked, shoving her behind him, "I'll take care of this!"
Some sort of disfigured human appeared before them. Vampire bat wings sprouted from its back as it gave a mournful howl, it bared it fangs and green saliva oozed from the tips. It reared its head and flapped its wings vigorously creating a mild gust of wind.
Koga cracked his knuckles then leaped at the demon, slashing, bite, and clawing at it as if her was a wild animal. As Koga was about to deliver the final blow, the demon took flight and swooped down lodging its claws deep inside Saizu's shoulders.
She thrashed around violently, she kicked and screamed and did all that was possible to release herself from the demon's clutches. She could see Koga below, staring up at them his eyes burning with a flame of intensity like none she had ever seen.
Gaining momentum Koga ascended into the air with a great leap. His efforts were successful for he landed right upon the demon's back. Koga glared and attacked again, cutting it in half. Catching Saizu before hit she hit the ground, Koga's pace slowed to a stead glide.
Not too far off in the distance, she could see InuYasha holding what looked like the tetsusaiga in his hands; deep inside her chest she could feel something nagging at her as if gravity was pulling at her body towards his direction. "Koga head that way!" she pointed, once more climbing up on his back, "InuYasha just a few yards into that patch of trees, over there, see?"
Koga huffed then pushed her higher up on his back, "Yeah, I know. I could smell that mutt a mile away. Hold on alright!" he ordered as he took off once more.
As Koga ran the surround areas became a blurred vision of lush green, which held blended colors of red, yellow, and brown. At the accelerating speed he was causing her nausea and giving her a slight headache. But hopefully soon she would be heading to the one place she wanted the most. Home.
InuYasha stiffened as Koga's scent traveled with the wind. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword as tetsusaiga began to pulsate under his hand. Myoga gulped loudly as he hid behind strands of InuYasha's hair, "Master InuYasha something is coming this way. Can you feel it?!" he squeaked, he's body quivering in fear.
"Shuddup!" InuYasha roared, unsheathing his might fang, " A demon com'n, but it hasn't revealed itself." His ears twitched back and forth as he continued to listen, "It's tracking them!"
He dashed towards them, with tetsusaiga tightly grasped within his hands. Myoga trailed behind him, reluctantly, clinging to InuYasha flowing sliver locks. "Mangy wolf gonna get forehead killed, and then leave me to deal with Kagome!" he said, a pinch of irritability in his voice.
"Master InuYasha, slow down!" Myoga cried, "Be a little grateful and explain what you're talking about!"
"I don't have time!" he said, bounding off through the forest.
---
Koga skid to a halt as the demon threw him across the ground. Saizu stood trembling, anxious to help in some way, though she was afraid she was determined not to be helpless. Her ankle throbbed painfully, as pivoted an awkward fight stance.
"Koga!" she called, "are you alright?!" she cupped her hands to mimic a megaphone.
Her brows furrowed, 'how could that demon still be alive? I mean didn't Koga just defeat it!' she though, shifting her body weight from one foot to the other.
Over head, old man Totosai flew on his three eyed cow, Momo, he watched carefully keeping himself will hidden from the battle, but also just close enough to witness the action. He gulped when he noticed the Saizu below, 'that girl down there has the same yellow demonic aura as the tetsusaiga, but how can that be unless-' he pause in mid thought as InuYasha leaped into the battle rapidly slashing his mighty fang.
"About time you show'd up puppy, your friend is more a handful than you!" Koga yelled as he dodged an attack from the bat demon.
"Shuddup you mangy wolf!" InuYasha countered, "I didn't come here to save you, and if you get in my way I'll kill you along with this low life demon!"
Saizu sighed, 'completely impossible! How could they be arguing at a time like this?!' she thought as she avoid the bat demon's blow in the nick of time. "Could you guys please stick to the matter at hand, and then tear each other to pieces." She shouted, ducking another attack.
By this time both Koga and InuYasha had realized that their bickering allowed the demon and easy target for its next meal, "Get out of the way forehead!" InuYasha barked, as he slammed his sword down releasing the tetsusaiga's Wind Scar and defeating it with one single swing.
He gave a triumphant glance Koga's way as the demon emitted a blood curling screech and quickly rotted into bone that gave off a terrible stench. "Thank goodness, its over." Saizu said, sighing with relief.
"And that's the way you kill a demon!" InuYasha boasted, sheathing his sword. "make sure to take note of that you scrawny wolf!"
"Pftt! Yeah right little puppy, who asked for you to step in on my battle?" Koga demanded, leaning into the question.
"What do you mean your battle?" InuYasha contradicted, "If it wasn't for me that demon probably would have eaten you and forehead over here!"
Saizu relaxed a little reluctantly, 'well I guess I can look on the bright-side, at least the demons dead.' Her muscles tightened in an instant as a familiar aura wave surged through her, "Father Totosai?" she said aloud, and she glanced around suspiciously in search for the owner of the aura. As she tried to stand, but failing horribly she made her way towards the trees.
"I've had it with you Koga, lets handle this once and for-" but he was cut off when he felt a sharp pain in his neck, he smacked it quickly and soon found out that it was only Myoga. "What's your problem Myoga?" InuYasha questioned, picking the flea up.
"Master InuYasha that girl! She's the reason why I have come to you!" he squeaked, "She is what cause tetsusaiga's change!"
InuYasha furrowed his eyebrows than glanced around, 'was Myoga talking about Sai?' he thought flicking the flea from his fingers. Then he paused, where had she gotten? He quickly pushed Koga out of the way and followed her scent, "I'll deal with you later you stupid wolf!" he said, before disappearing into the forest.
Saizu peered around, there was nothing there. 'Ok, get a grip Saizu! Just because you get these occasional déjà vu feelings doesn't mean you can go running around this unknown, strange, and bizarre place.' She told herself.
"Ah, Saizu, its been a while. And I must say you haven't changed at all." An elder voice cracked.
Saizu stared at the stranger, petrified. Her eyes widen, and her face grew pale, "Who are you…?" she asked, though she peculiarly already knew the answer.
"I don't know if I should be pleased, or be offended. Either way, my name is Totosai the sword-smith, don't you remember?" the elderly man asked.
As she gazed upon his face she noticed there was some weird memorable features to him, but she had truly never seen him before, or so not that she could recall. He was a graying man, with a slick oily goatee, large dilapidated eyes, and a small tiny pony that held the limited amount of hair that was on his head.
"It would be understandable for you not to remember me, I'd say it's been well over three hundred to four hundred years. But again you haven't changed much, though I recall last time your hair was longer." He said, stroking his white beard.
She fell to her knees and stared blankly up at his face, 'I…I..what's going on?' images of the old man flashed through her head. A vision of a young girl with knee-length brown hair lingered in her mind, she was working in a small black area, her hands solid with dirt with layers upon layers of burses and scratches on her body. But though her body was mangled, she was happy. "Urg, what's going on?" she asked hold her head.
"Forehead!" InuYasha called, "Stupid wench! Where the hell did you go?"
He paused at the sound of soft whimpers, he sniffed the air and Saizu's scent came flooding gradually through his nose. She was near, he'd know her strange scent anywhere, though it was odd to him why her scent had a greater affect on him than even Kagome's.
As he pushed his way through a thick brush of bushes, he sighed with relief as he found her, and with Totosai of all people. "Huh?" he grunted, "Totosai what are you doing here? And what did you do to Sai?"
The corky old man glared at InuYasha and narrowed his eyes into thin slits, "I haven't done anything to her you ill mannered-fool of a boy!" the old man growled, " though I suppose something is troubling her.." he trailed off scratching his head. "Though that's not saying much, something always seemed to trouble her."
InuYasha cocked an eyebrow, "wait, you mean you know her?"
"Indeed we do!" Myoga squeaked, finally reappearing from his hiding spot, "come, let me explain in a more suitable area. Totosai, will you be joining us?"
---
"It's been far too long," Myoga sighed, taking a sip of his newly made tea.
The dim mid-day sun flooded into the small hut, Lady Keade huddled over the unconscious Saizu dabbing her face with a wet piece of cloth. Everyone waited patiently for the old flea to proceed with his explanation.
"Well, it all began about three hundred years ago when Master InuYasha's father Master InuTaisho still ruled over the 'western lands' this of course was long before Master InuYasha was born. Miss Saizu was in a way his apprentice, but in many ways not," he paused to take another sip of his tea, "The Master didn't know much about her, but she was a 'special mortal' she possessed two souls, one was the powerful blood of a demon, and the other the sacred endless soul of a priestess. This of course pleased the master, he needed something, though he didn't know what at the time, to bind his demonic fang and contain it so it would protect Master InuYasha's human mother." He eyed everyone carefully seeing if they were still with him.
"But she fell ill, and we feared that she wouldn't survive. Totosai agreed to watch over her, and make sure that her final days were comfortable. She was quit stubborn, more so than Master InuYasha." InuYasha growled, but did nothing to further interrupt the flea, "She swore that she would continue to serve the master long after her death, and she did by sealing her soul inside the tetsusaiga like the master wanted." He said, finally finishing.
"If that's true than how'd did she end up in Kagome's time?" InuYasha questioned, cocking an eyebrow.
"I believe it's the same tale as Kagome's." Miroku answered, "but I can't explain how her spirit was released from tetsusaiga."
"Wait, do you mean she's a reincarnation of the former owner of the soul?" Kagome asked, eye wide.
"Yes, she does seem to be the former Saizu's reincarnation. And I believe Totosai can explain how her soul was sent to Lady Kagome's era. Totosai…" Myoga trailed off.
"Well…" he said scratching his head, " When my beautiful tetsusaiga was snapped in half, thanks to InuYasha's foolishness, young Saizu's soul must have been released or at least part of it."
"What do you mean part of it?" Sango inquired, as she stroked Kirara head.
"Like Myoga said before, she had many souls, I could only predict that this Saizu before us possesses a small amount of the demonic soul, while the fang contains a large portion of the priestess's soul." He replied, eyeing the group like Myoga once did.
"But that still leaves us with the problem of how she came to this world." Lady Kaede said seriously, again dabbing Saizu with the wet cloth.
"Indeed. I haven't figured out much about the situation, but that tetsusaiga has been calling to the rest of its soul since the day it was repaired." Myouga answered, finally finishing his tea, "but the thing to remember is that, she and InuYasha are connected in more ways than one, I recall the master speaking this to me sometime ago…but um," he paused, as he began to sweat a little.
"Let me guess!" InuYasha roared, "He was telling you this during some battle, and to save your sorry-ass you fled!"
"It's not my fault!" Myouga cried, defensively, "If your father hadn't been so reckless, maybe I'd remember exactly what he said!"
"Shh!" Kagome hissed, trying to end their idiotic bickering, "How are we going to break this to Sai?" she asked, looking towards the girl's sleeping body, "I mean she can't exactly go home…"
Silence replaced their voices and no one seemed to be able to meet her eyes, obviously no one knew what to do. "well, I'm going to help her get home." Kagome swore, as she cradled the sleeping Shippou.
"Feh! And just how are you going to do that?" InuYasha demanded, irritability lingering in his voice. When she replied with no answer InuYasha huffed, "its meaningless to promise something that you can never fulfill." He said eyeing her.
"Aye, but it is getting late. We all need a good nights rest, for I know that all of us are tired. We shall deal with this problem in the morning." Lady Keade commented, fetching more blankets for the large group.
"I suppose I'll take Saizu with me." Totosai sighed, as stood to leave, "Maybe she being around me might trigger some of her old memories."
InuYasha frowned, "No way old man!" he barked, blocking his path of Sai, "Your not taking her anywhere."
"Be quiet you fool!" cried Totosai, "your coming too, you ungrateful little-" but he stopped before he could finish.
InuYasha crossed his arms over his chest and cursed something under his breath about the elder man, before placing Saizu carefully on his back and leaving the hut. Kagome watched sadly as he left with Totosai close behind him, "do you think its best to let them leave?" Sango asked, looking in Kagome's direction.
Kagome shrugged, " To be honest Sango, I don't know. But hopefully they will figure out how Sai got here and be able to send her home. I just pray that they're careful…"
Sango nodded then slowly drifted off into a deep sleep. Kagome gazed at the entrance of the hut a while longer before she too fell asleep.
---
The hot morning sun beat down intensely against Saizu's closed eyes, she moaned a little slightly cold from the morning air yet she was pressed against something warm. She cuddled closer to it to shield her eyes, and she realized that she was moving. Her eyes shot open as she looked around quizzically.
Her arms were around InuYasha's neck and his arms were under the bends of her knees, she was placed securely on his back as he leaped from tree to tree. Her head was surprisingly comfortable where it rested- which was snug beside his neck.
"So your finally awake?" he stated sharply, glancing at her sideways.
Ignoring his rude comment she peered around, why weren't they in Keade's hut near a warm fire…what happened after she. And then it all came back to her, meeting Totosai, the visions, and then blacking out. "Where are we?" she asked.
"We're on our way to Totosai's. Everyone thinks you're this reincarnation of the women whose soul was contained within the tetsusaiga, at least that's what the old crone and the flea think. They said we share some kind of special bond." He explained, scoffing the last part.
"But why Totosai's?" she questioned, reluctantly lifting her head from its resting place.
"Since it looks like your going to be here awhile the gang all decided that it wouldn't hurt to toughen you up, cuz' your such a wimp n' all. Damn it's pathetic!"
"Excuse me!" she yelled, leaning near his head once more, "Sorry for being human, not all of us can be all powerful half-demons." She shot back smugly, turning her head the other way.
"Don't get cocky! I can drop your big forehead-self right here and now!" he countered.
"No one asked you too carry me! So don't get all high and mighty with me, I don't know who you think you are I-N-U-Y-A-S-H-A!" she screamed, face flushed with anger.
"Ah shuddup!" he resorted.
"No you shut up." She said under her breath.
"Whatever…" he mumbled as he continued on to Totosai's workshop.