AN: Hey y'all!! I'm back with a new chapter on this one, amazingly enough. Things are wrapping down, but the brothers need to find out some key information first. This chapter should be longer than my other ones, so keep reading! It is important, I swear!

Totosai the Lore-Keeper

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru arrived at the old, dilapidated shack on the other side of Tokyo half an hour later. Sesshoumaru glared at the door for a moment, pressing his lips together in distaste.

"Do we really want to deal with him?" he muttered.

"Only if we want to save Kagome." Inuyasha reminded him.

Sesshoumaru snarled at that, but the knocked on the anyway. He paused for a moment, then shoved the door open. "Totosai! Where are you, old man?" He took a step inside, and motioned for Inuyasha to follow. "Watch your step, I don't' think Totosai has cleaned in here since the Feudal Era."

"No since in cleaning." came a muffled voice from the back. "I know where everything is this way. Now, what can I do for the famous Takahashi brothers?" Totosai worked his way into view, smacking books and papers aside with his mallet. He had been a swordsmith back in his prime, but the rise of man had reduced him to an old bookworm.

"We need to know about our swords." Inuyasha said tersely. "About why they were forged."

The old youkai finally focused on the brothers, and his already wide eyes went wider. "Kami! Tetsusaiga and Tokijin! What was Taisho thinking, giving you two those weapons?!"

"He was thinking that we could protect a young miko by the name of Higurashi Kagome." Sesshoumaru said coldly.

"She has the Tenseiga, by the way." Inuyasha added conversationally. "Care to tell us what all this means?"

Totosai rubbed his forehead and sighed. "You two had better sit down." He reached out and cleared off the couch, waiting for the brothers to get comfortable before beginning.

"I forged the three swords of Takahashi years ago. Tokijin always went to the oldest, Tetsusaiga always to the youngest." He shook his head. "I never understood why there was a third sword – even if there had been a third brother, no youkai can wield Tenseiga. It is a sword of healing, not destruction.

Tell me, you said this Kagome is a miko?"

The brothers nodded.

"That explains it. Partially. A miko's power lies in healing. But why would Taisho give a human with relations to the family one of the swords?"

"She's our little sister." Sesshoumaru said bluntly.

"It's a nice story, Totosai, but it doesn't tell us anything important." Inuyasha pointed out impatiently.

"Impertinent hanyou! I'm getting there!"

In a flash Tetsusaiga was drawn and resting on Totosai's neck. "Get there faster." Inuyasha bit out. "We don't have much time."

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to smack his brother on the back of the head. Inuyasha's tactics were always a bit brash, but in this case they could do with a bit of brashness. Totosai had a knack of rambling when he shouldn't. And Kagome was running out of time.

"The swords were crafted in order to destroy another sword." Totosai said rapidly. "Sounga."

"Sounga?" Inuyasha's face twisted in confusion. "You ever heard of it, Sesshoumaru?"

"Only once." the elder brother said blandly. In reality, he was as confused as Inuyasha. "Explain, Totosai."

"Sounga was created by the dragon king Ryukotsei in order to destroy the Takahashi army in battle." Totosai shifted uncomfortably. "Luckily, your ancestors put a seal on the sword. Sounga's seal can only be broken by one of Ryukotsei's line – and only with the blood of a pure-hearted miko."

"Kagome." Inuyasha murmured.

Sesshoumaru nodded agreement, his eyes glinting. "It would seem that way."

"Here's the trick, though." Totosai said grimly. "That miko can replace the seal, but only at the cost of her powers. She will no longer be a miko."

The two brothers stared at each other, Totosai forgotten for the moment. "We can't do that to her." Inuyasha said quietly.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I know. We'll have to find another way of destroying Sounga."

At that moment, both swords began to vibrate. Inuyasha quickly replaced the Tetsusaiga in its sheath, but it didn't stop the strange pulsing. "What on earth?"

"Tenseiga is calling out to them." Totosai observed.

"Kagome!"

The word left both brothers at the same time, and in a flash they were out the door and racing down the streets to the high school, praying they weren't too late.

Totosai simply sighed and reached for his walking stick.

"Guess I'd better warn Taisho."