(The Phantom Sword)
"When the ten Fangs of Ryuhogo reunite after thousands of years, the Dragon Guardian shall at last fulfill his destiny and rid this world of the Jewel that has caused so much suffering, and begin a new era for all."
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The night was calm over the skies of Feudal Japan.
A lone dog demon by the name of Sesshomaru observed from afar what appeared to be a tomb of some kind 'Is this where I shall find what I seek?'
A demon imp by the name of Jaken, the only ward of Sesshomaru, wasted no time in guiding him to the tomb "Milord here it is, this is the tomb that we've been searching for!"
"Are you sure of this Jaken?"
"Aye milord, the Staff of Two Heads has always led us without fail! Clearly this tomb must be what it means, allow me to prove it to you." Jaken rushed towards the tomb, only to find several wolves waiting for him "T-This isn't it at all! Milord we claim success, it is exactly as I had suspected."
"Stand aside Jaken, I shall deal with them myself." Sesshomaru made his way forward, easily maintaining his composure when faced with the murderous glares of the wolves "The fang, it is the fang that I search for. Once I have possession of the fang, I shall be able to become a being of even greater power. Yet why must I explain it to the likes of you, my power is what has been intended by fate, and I shall alway be limited thus as a result. Can it be that I feel fear, or is it merely that I know not of my own limitations." with remarkable gracefulness, he summoned a Poison Whip from his claws and slaughtered all of the wolves in a single move "The fang is what I seek here, for without the fang I have no purpose in being here at all. Now then Jaken, position the staff.
"Yes milord, right away!" Jaken rushed up to the top of the tomb and planted the Staff of Two Heads into the stone, only to cause the old woman head on the staff to scream "This time it is the beauty who responds, do not tell me we have been misled."
"It cannot be helped." and so Sesshomaru turned on his heel and walked away.
"Milord wait for me, your humble servant comes!"
"Loud as ever."
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What went unnoticed was that a flea demon by the name of Myoga had witnessed the scene and escaped on the back of one of the few surviving wolves "And here I thought I had seen it all, I suppose Master Inuyasha will have to know about this before it's too late. I'd best make haste before that happens."
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A large group of warriors was resting by a river, discussing their next course of action "We shall be rejoining the main force in the morning, let us eat of this war tonight so that we may have the strength we need for the battles that have yet to come! And be sure to give thanks that you have a leader such as I for you to follow. I shall lead all of you to victory, and more besides!" he was met with cheers, which were promptly brought to an abrupt end when he noticed several of his men being slaughtered by Sesshomaru "What be this, are ye mad?"
Sesshomaru just shot him a glance without giving a damn "I need a boat."
"You need a what, before a battle? And what are we to give it to ye?"
"Yes as a matter of fact you are, and now."
"I think not demon!"
"So be it then." Sesshomaru wasted no time in ripping through the leader with one claw, killing him before he could even feel any pain.
"You scoundrel, who do you think you are?!" the rest of the men raised their swords and prepared to charge at him.
"If you wish to die with honor then so be it."
"Lord Sesshomaru!" that was when Jaken finally caught up with him "I regret to inform you that I was unable to find any boats."
"What about those?" he pointed at the boats resting on the riverbank.
"Well unless you count those obviously. So what of the men that raise their swords to you milord?"
"Waste no time on them, I have no interest in unnecessary conflicts." he grabbed Jaken by the staff he was carrying, blitzed over to the boat and then they sailed off, leaving all of the surviving soldiers behind.
"To think they might be spared, yet such is the arrogance of these lofty samurai warriors that almost each and every time you must teach them their lesson anew."
"They are taught these lessons time and again but they refuse to retain them, such is the never ending ignorance of humans." Sesshomaru glanced back at the staff "It would seem that the staff is changing position."
"Which could only mean that the Fang has changed its location."
"But we still know not where it is."
"...If I may Lord Sesshomaru."
"What is it?"
"Might we not ask your brother Lord Inuyasha where the tomb is located?"
"Inuyasha…" his answer was knocking Jaken off the boat and then using the staff to attempt to drown him "I would prefer not to think of him, keep in mind Jaken that for our purposes he is dead. You yourself informed me 50 years ago about him being sealed to that tree."
"B-But sire it is the spell, they say it was removed but recently and that he is now in the company of an oddly dressed priestess and a human who wields the Fangs of Ryuhogo! Besides the staff, it's been acting most strangely! It is because of Inuyasha, I'm sure of it!"
"...The Fangs of Ryuhogo you say?"
"Speaking of the staff milord might you not remove it, I cannot breathe!" and then he passed out in a comical fashion.
'Human companions would be fitting for the likes of him, but forthe Fangs of Ryuhogo to truly exist? This just became much more interesting.'
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Morning came, and the sun was shining over the land of Musashi.
Tatsu pulled Kagome out of the well, and then her bike soon followed "Remind me again why you thought it was a good idea to bring your bike to this era."
"Because I like to get around on my own power instead of being carried around by you like some kind of rag doll." Kagome told him, her tone rather playful as she climbed on her bike and rode off towards the village, with Tatsu following with ease "So how do you think it is that we ended up in some weird alternate Feudal version of Japan?"
"Well I've been working on some theories, and by that I mean it came to me when I was watching stuff on Hulu while trying to drown out Kazuma and Moya going at it."
"Like I need that image in my head."
"My room is next to theirs. Anyway I think maybe you and I got sent here in order to ensure that the Shikon Jewel was shattered."
"Meaning what exactly?"
"I think it means that we were always destined to come here in time and make sure that the jewel was shattered and Inuyasha was freed, like some kind of Quantum Loop."
"...I can feel my head throbbing from just listening to this."
"Try being the one that comes up with the stuff."
"I'm still trying to process everything about coming through the well, the jewel coming out of my body, freeing Inuyasha from the tree and everything else that's happened in the last few days or so."
"Well at least he's saying our names now so I guess we're making progress."
"He's rude and crude and says that he hates us."
"Yeah well I say he's your basic anime tsundere, and they always warm up to the good hearted protagonists sooner or later. Besides, we need him to track down the jewel shards and I need a decent sparring partner."
"I guess but still." this was followed by a tiny scream of terror "Weird I thought I heard something."
"Well it was probably just a bug or something."
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A few minutes later, at the Sacred Tree…
Inuyasha looked down at them in disdain "First aid treatment? I don't know what the hell that is and frankly I don't care, now get lost."
"Yeah you need it, keep in mind that I was there now come down here." Kagome told him firmly, only to be met with a sniff of dismissal.
"There's nothing to it."
"I told you to come down here."
"And I told you to piss off."
"...Sit boy." and cue the loud thud.
"What the hell was that for?"
"Look just stop whining and let me take a look, demon or human when you're hurt as bad as that you need to have medical treatment. At least Tatsu let me bandage his injuries without fighting so why are you so stubborn?"
"Because it doesn't matter how tough he thinks he is, the fact is that he's just a pathetic human like you, so stop talking to me like I'm lost."
"Yeah well I can say the word you know."
"And as fun as it is to watch you faceplant him, I figured it would be more effective if you saw it for yourself." Tatsu pulled down Inuyasha's kimono, revealing that the wound he had obtained from his battle with Yura had vanished "Demon physiology is a lot different from humans, even I heal fast by human standards but he can heal at least ten times faster than me. Which actually works, considering I need him as a sparring partner."
'So Tatsu is pretty much a beast that's been training until his bones crack for about as long as I can remember, that much I can understand, but Inuyasha isn't a full human or a full demon. Does that mean that he's half demon somehow?'
"Ow, what the hell?" Inuyasha glanced down his shirt and his scowl deepened "Oh you've gotta be kidding me."
"Yeah as it turns out, it was Myoga sucking on his blood "Greetings and salutations, it's been quite some time Master Inuyasha." he was promptly smacked off and comically floated to the ground.
"Great just what I need, Myoga the flea. So what did you come to bug me about this time around?"
"Well master Inuyasha, as a matter of fact I've come to-" he was cut off by Kagome using a can of bug spray on him, causing him to pass out.
"You know I'm pretty sure that should count as murder on some sort of level." Tatsu pointed out dryly.
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Later, at sunset…
Inuyasha shot a look at Myoga "What the hell do you mean someone is trying to find my old man's tomb?"
"I was made the guardian of his final resting place, but this burden is one I can no longer bear on my own." Myoga told him grimly.
"So you took off and came here instead."
"But it's the remains that are important, and they are no longer there."
"So then where the hell are the remains supposed to be then?"
"Unfortunate as it may be sire, no one knows exactly where."
"Some guardian you are then."
"Inuyasha it was once stated that your father was a phantom beast, that his domain consisted of the Western Lands." Kaede pointed out.
"Well I can't say that I remember it all that well, or at all actually."
"Your father was known and respected for being a legend among demons, as great as he was powerful." Myoga told him "I remember his blood being especially delicious, and that is something that you have inherited from him."
"Wow that sounds amazing, but what about his mom?" asked Kagome.
"Her name was Izayoi and she was known as a beauty beyond compare, a true-" Myoga was promptly silenced at that moment by Inuyasha angrily stepping on him.
"Hey what the heck did you do that for?"
"Just drop it if you know what's good for you, she died a long time ago." and Inuyasha stormed his way out of the hut.
"What was that about, did I say something to make him upset? I mean all I did was ask him about his mother."
"Yes, well about that…" Myoga picked himself back up "Master Inuyasha has always preferred not to speak of his mother."
"Probably because she was human." Tatsu just laid back nonchalantly "I've only seen a few demons but I know enough to know that they probably aren't fans of half demons or humans in general."
"Yeah I guess… You think I should go talk to him?"
"No just hang back, no offense but I think he at least hates me less. Just wait here and I'll try and calm him down." and so Tatsu walked out of the hut, leaving Kagome, Kaede and Myoga alone in there.
'Tatsu…'
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Nightfall came, and the moon was shining brightly.
Inuyasha sat in a tree, brooding over certain events 'What the hell gives him the right to talk about my mother?'
Tatsu made his way to the tree and sat down against the trunk "So exactly how long do you plan to keep brooding up there?"
"As long as I want to."
"Fine." Tatsu let out a sigh "Just don't say you hate your mom just because she's human." he received no reply "Look my mom died when I was pretty young so I don't remember that much about her, but I remember enough to know that I could never hate her so-" the wind began blowing ominously and his head snapped up "You feel that?"
"You'd have to be an idiot not to." Inuyasha leapt down from the tree "Something's coming straight for us."
"And I'm guessing that's it up there." Tatsu looked up to see a carriage gliding through the air in front of the moon, surrounded by demons with a beautiful woman inside of it."
"No… No fucking way…"
"What's up with you?"
"I… I think that's my mother…"
"I thought you said she was dead."
"She is, but…"
Izayoi peered out of the carriage and laid eyes on Inuyasha "Oh it really is you, Inuyasha my son!" she was suddenly bound by chains and it began to disappear into the distance, only for a gigantic claw to drop down from within the clouds and crush the carriage, revealing itself to be a massive ogre-like creature holding the captive Izayoi in its hands.
"You get your grimy hands off her you son of a bitch!" Inuyasha charged at the ogre in a rage, only to be forced on the evasive by a sudden blast of fire, as well as a few more that followed right after the first one.
"Back off for a second Inuyasha, I've got this one. How about you just stand back and watch the master at work." Tatsu promptly leapt into the air and thrusted one of his swords forward, a single clean stroke being enough to cut through the blasts of fire with ease "So you wanna get your shit wrecked before or after I let Inuyasha beat the ever loving shit out of you? Holy crap these things are awesome, whatever this Guardian made these things out of, he really knows what he's doing.'
Jaken scowled as he retracted the staff "Curse that arrogant little-"
"Enough Jaken." that was when Sesshomaru appeared behind him "Keep in mind that once we're through I'll want him dead."
"Y-Yes milord, of course milord."
"But leave the one that supposedly holds the Fangs of Ryuhogo to me. I'll see for myself whether or not it rings true."
"I-I understand milord."
Inuyasha was quick to recognize Sesshomaru, and his expression turned to one accompanied by a rage filled snarl "It is you, Sesshomaru!"
"Indeed it is, I myself did not expect us to meet again… little brother."
"Less than five minutes into this fight and I already like him more than you." Tatsu commented dryly, earning a dirty look from Inuyasha.
"Those fangs he wears around his neck… so it would seem that the rumors were true. On one hand, a human is a fairly fitting companion for the likes of you little brother, but on the other hand, for a human to wield such prestigious artifacts is preposterous, but not unheard of."
"I'm gonna focus on what you're saying about Inuyasha for the time being. I'm sure you know as well as I do that he's an ass but I need a sparring partner, I never even knew that kind of level of skill was possible until I saw him, and now I want to explore the possibilities in any way that I can. Besides this way I can get a good challenge out of it."
"I see, so it's a lack of experience when it comes to demons."
"Hey he's the right level for me and he doesn't fight dirty, it's good enough for me. My standards are kind of low."
"So it would seem." Sesshomaru glanced down at Izayoi "These human creatures, honestly little brother I would think you had had enough of them, or is it a taste you inherited from our dearly departed father?"
"And one would think that I've had enough of this guy." Tatsu was silenced by two simultaneous glares.
"True as such a statement might be, the fact is that my business is with Inuyasha, not you."
"That can't be all is it?" Inuyasha let out a loud snort "You couldn't have come all this way just to mock me and tell me that kind of crap."
"Be not a fool Inuyasha, enjoyable as it may be I have no such time to waste. The tomb of our departed father, where must I seek it?"
"Our father's tomb, why the hell would you ask me?"
"Seeing yet never seen, protected yet never known to its protector, these are the only clues that I have been provided for my search."
"I don't have a damn clue what you're talking about, besides even if I did there's no way in hell I would tell you!"
"I suppose I should've anticipated such a response to begin with, if that is the case then it would seem that I have no choice but to let the suffering of your mother convince you." he whipped the ogre demon, causing it to tighten its hold on Izayoi.
Despite this, Inuyasha wasn't convinced "Nice try you stupid jackass, my mother has been dead for years and we both know it so there's no way in hell I'd ever fall for a stupid trick like that one!"
"A trick is it?"
"Yeah that's what I said dipshit!"
"You're the one who's stupid!" Jaken let out a scoff "Recalling spirits from the Netherworld is but a simple task, that is if you are the magnificence that is Lord Sesshomaru! He was even so kind as to give her flesh, and yet her own son would deny it. How sad to be the mother to one such as you."
"Wh-What…?"
Izayoi slowly locked eyes with Inuyasha as she felt the grip of the chains tighten around her neck mercilessly "Inuyasha…"
'Does that mean… he's actually telling the truth?'
"I have returned for you Inuyasha, at last I have returned from the world of the dead." and then she lost consciousness again.
"Stop hurting her! Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" Inuyasha charged at them in a blind rage at full speed, ripping the ogre's hand off and releasing Izayoi from its clutches.
Tatsu caught Izayoi before she hit the ground "Don't worry I've got her."
"Don't waste time talking you idiot, take her and get the hell out of here!"
"I would think not." Sesshomaru wasted no time in firing a barrage of poison darts from his claws in the direction of Izayoi.
"Mother look out!" Inuyasha rushed in without thinking and took the blow for her, taking a barrage of poison darts to the back.
"Inuyasha no!" Izayoi unleashed a ball of light from her hands, engulfing the two of them, as well as Tatsu, and causing the three of them to disappear in a white light.
Sesshomaru stared at the spot where they once stood with a clear look of disdain "Such a bother this turns out to be."
Jaken nodddd "Aye milord and yet it goes so well, please milord just leave it to me."
"Know that I hold no respect for such dishonorable methods Jaken, such tactics are beneath myself. Remember this Jaken, if such a plan should fail then you will die."
"A-As you will milord."
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Inuyasha regained consciousness to find himself and Tatsu near a lake surrounded by a field being covered by a golden colored sky "This place, where is it?"
"We are at the border of the Spirit World." that was when Izayoi appeared before him "And I'm afraid I must be crossing over it before very much time passes."
"Crossing over? Oh yeah right, it happened so long ago I keep forgetting that you're actually still dead."
"Tell me Inuyasha, you have become a man have you not?"
"Well yeah, I mean when you died I guess I was still just a kid right?"
"Such terrible violent days, and you all alone with no one to care for you. How could you ever forgive me for leaving you alone like that?"
"It's not like it was that big a deal? I mean…"
"Inuyasha…"
"What is it?"
Unknown to either of them, this was when Tatsu came to 'So Inuyasha and his mother are both okay, that's good. The bad news is, I can't move.' he glanced at their reflections in the water and noticed something off 'Okay she has no face in her reflection, a classic sign in a horror movie that something is very very wrong. And I can't even open my mouth to speak, so yeah I'd say I'm stuck in some sort of horror movie. Whoever that woman is she's not Inuyasha's mother, that much is for sure. So what is she then, if she doesn't have a face she has to be a demon of some kind.'
"Mother…"
"Inuyasha…" Izayoi let out a sigh "I'm sorry my son, but I'm afraid I must return now to the Netherworld."
"D-Do you have to?"
"I'm afraid so." she placed a flower on the water, causing all of the pedals to break apart and drift away in different directions "The pedals, look into the water."
Inuyasha did so, and witnessed some of his childhood memories of the time that he spent with his mother 'That's me, back when I was still just a little kid.'
"So you do remember, that's good. I often held you that way when you were a child." she then proceeded to hold him in the same position as back then "I held you to my heart just as I am doing now." she pulled him into his embrace, but as she did her hands started to morph inside of his back "I'll never let go, not now and not ever."
"Mother…"
Tatsu on the other hand was still stuck, his mind racing 'Come on think Tatsu, there's gotta be a way to get out of this.' he suddenly found himself being bound by chains as the landscape morphed into a dark and ominous swamp, and the realization dawned upon him 'So then that's it, all of that is just an illusion. The golden landscape, seeing his mother, all of it.'
"Tatsu listen to me!" as it turns out, Myoga was jumping on his neck "Snap out of it Tatsu, it's me Myoga! Honestly, who would've thought Lord Sesshomaru of all people would be the one seeking the tomb. He's quite the dangerous one as well. And here's Tatsu, the poor boy chained from head to toe so wrapped up he can't even swat a- Oh wait a second, freeing him and getting a taste of what his blood has to offer. I guess this is my lucky day." he then proceeded to start sucking on Tatsu's blood without hesitation.
Tatsu promptly slapped Myoga off him and bolted upright "Well what the hell do you know, not a bad plan all things considered. That was part of your plan right?"
"Sure, let's go with that…"
"Whatever, let's go track down Inuyasha before he gets his first and last taste of boob, and the fact that that thing looks like his mom just makes it so wrong on so many levels." and so he bolted off in search of Inuyasha.
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The fake Izayoi, actually a demon known as the Unmother, was sucking Inuyasha into chest, bringing him further and further in by the second "My boy… my precious boy…"
"Oh for crying out loud you wench, what do you think you're doing?" that was when Jaken came out of nowhere and smacked her across the face, or lack thereof, with his staff "I told you not to suck in his soul until I said you could!"
"Sorry."
"You can have your way with him later, but not until after he tells us how to find the tomb of his and Lord Sesshomaru's father."
"I understand."
Unknown to them, Tatsu was watching them in hiding 'So that's Sesshomaru's footstool of a henchman, he doesn't look like much on his own but finding a way to get around his staff could be tough. The fire itself is easy for me to either absorb or counter, but I don't know what other abilities it has.'
"Inuyasha. Inuyasha!" the Unmother sucked him into her chest even further "Tell me Inuyasha, I need to know. Where is your father's tomb?"
"I… I don't know…" his voice was soft, barely audible at all.
"Then you need to think harder. Let me see into your heart. What is that?"
"The… The black pearl… on the right…"
"The black pearl?"
"What black pearl, where is it?" Jaken squawked "We need to know more than that, go even deeper!"
"But Lord Jaken, if I delve any deeper than his spirit will be broken."
"I don't care about that, just do it!"
"...As you wish. Inuyasha, I need you to tell me more."
"Mother… I can't breathe…" Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and he was able to get a quick look at the Unmother's face, or lack thereof "Your face… you don't have a face… that means that you're…" he was suddenly forced even deeper.
"What's taking so long?!" Jaken squawked "Get a move on and get what we need from him already before Lord Sesshomaru comes back and-" he was cut off by blood spurting into the air, but it wasn't his.
As it turns out, Tatsu had taken the opportunity to cut the Unmother down using his new twin swords, and he shot Jaken a smirk "What's up?"
"You arrogant little- How dare you interfere with my plan!"
"Like this. Home run!" he then proceeded to send Jaken flying into the swamp using a single kick to the back "No looking back that one was more like a ball now that I think about it." he glanced down at the remains of the Unmother "So what is this thing exactly?"
"That would be the Unmother I'm afraid." Myoga told him "This demon was born from the grief of losing children to famine and war and she seeks to fill the void within herself by taking the spirits of others."
"Inuyasha in this case."
Inuyasha took a moment to snap out of his stupor "That little- How the hell dare she- She actually pretended to be- and I fell for it like a sucker! I can't believe I actually thought that she was my-"
"Inuyasha." that was when Sesshomaru appeared from within the mist "I suppose I should show my gratitude, for now I know where it is."
"Sesshomaru… you son of a-" Inuyasha was silenced by Sesshomaru quickly grabbing him in a chokehold.
"To think it was so obvious."
Tatsu found himself sweating slightly 'He was so fast I could barely even see him, let alone try to attack or defend.'
"Of all of the places for him to hide it, all of this time it was beneath both of our noses, or to be more accurate above our very own noses. Our father was determined to keep it a secret that no one would ever be able to uncover, which is why he chose here of all places to hide it."
"Okay are you gonna start making jokes or are you gonna get on with it? Seriously this is getting boring."
"So it is, and Inuyasha since it was obviously done without your knowledge how would you like to come with me and find out?"
"What- What the hell are you-" Inuyasha was cut off by Sesshomaru stabbing two fingers directly into his eye, but instead of blinding Inuyasha in that eye it only drew out a small black pearl, which Sesshomaru promptly caught in his hand, and he let go of Inuyasha once he actually had it "No wonder there was no use in searching for it beneath ground. Seeing yet never seen, protected yet never known to its protector."
"To be fair that really doesn't make any sense." Tatsu pointed out "All that means is that it's hidden and the person who has it doesn't even know it."
"Perhaps, perhaps not. The tomb of our father was hidden inside of a black pearl deep within my dear younger brother's eye."
"And the whole fake mother thing was really necessary for something like that?"
"That was Jaken's plan not mine, I will have no part in such dishonorable tactics."
"Hence why you didn't show up until the imp got what you needed."
"Precisely."
"You bastard!" Inuyasha charged at Sesshomaru in a rage, only to end up getting swatted aside and sent flying into the swamp.
"You however, I am curious about. You are merely a full blooded human, and yet with the Fangs of Ryuhogo in your possession you are able to fight on the level of Inuyasha, However, simply from watching you in battle it is clear that you have only been able to harness the power of one Fang in battle, when you actually have two in your possession.
"I just got the other one a few days ago, and for that matter I didn't even know there was more than one until a few days ago."
"Then how did you come to acquire the Fang of the Iron Heart?"
"It was a gift from my father, something that he left to me before he died. He said that it would be a great help to me someday, but I never really knew what he meant by that. Not until recently that is."
"I see."
"Why so curious though, are you saying that you want to try and fight me now that you see that I have it?"
"I will admit that for many years I have maintained an underlying curiosity as to what the Fangs are capable of."
Of course I have yet to reach my full potential that lies within the orb." Sesshomaru dematerialized the black pearl and turned to face Tatsu "But I suppose we shall call this the before battle."
"And the next fight you're in will be the after." Tatsu dropped into a combat stance, both swords in hand, a bead of sweat dripping down his face 'One thing is for sure, this guy is definitely a hell of a lot stronger than Inuyasha. I'm gonna have my hands full with this one. You mind if I make the first move then?"
"If you insist, though the one who makes the first move rarely claims victory."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." at the sound of a nearby rock crumbling, Tatsu launched himself forward towards Sesshomaru and thrusted forward one of his swords.
Sesshomaru was able to sidestep the attack with ease, and then began dodging and weaving around every attack Tatsu was throwing at him, and then he retreated a short distance.
Tatsu wasted no time in chasing after him, only for Sesshomaru to rebound and pounce forward, then strike him with an elbow to face that sent him hurtling backwards, but he quickly rebounded just in time to duck a slash of Sesshomaru's claws from behind, which led him to go back on the offensive with both swords 'He's got speed, power and reflexes beyond anyone I've ever faced off with before.'
"As to be expected of someone with only human blood coursing through his veins, or is it that you're simply holding back?" Sesshomaru promptly dealt Tatsu a swift kick to the gut that caused him to recoil in pain "To keep up with even the likes of Inuyasha would require more effort than what you're currently displaying before me, so is it simply a matter of arrogance or do you just wish for me to kill you?" he grabbed Tatsu by the ankle using a whip made of green energy coming from his palm and then hurling him away, sending him tumbling across the battlefield.
Tatsu was able to stop himself after a short distance, gritting his teeth from the pain he was feeling in his leg 'I'm guessing that his energy attacks have some sort of corrosive effect going for them. Still though this is insane, we've only been fighting for two to three minutes at the most and his speed, power and technique are leagues ahead of my own. A large part of me actually feels pretty excited by this.'
"Tell me then, is this the limit of the strength you possess at the moment?"
"Oh trust me, I've got at least one more trick up my sleeve. Okay, remember what that guy told you. I have to concentrate, let the energy build until it has nowhere to go but out.' calming himself for a moment, Tatsu held out one hand in front of him, blue colored energy gathering in the palm of his hand 'Okay now concentrate, let it build and… now!' he unleashed a blue wave of energy from his palm.
'He's fast, but…' Sesshomaru was able to leap over the energy blast with ease, leaving it to detonate within the waters of the nearby swamp.
'Now!' taking advantage of Sesshomaru temporarily being distracted, Tatsu burst into the air and dealt Sesshomaru a solid uppercut kick to the jaw, and then an elbow to the face with enough force to push him back through the air, before preparing to follow up with another attack.
Sesshomaru rebounded from Tatsu's initial attack and dodged his next attack, then dealt him a solid kick to the gut that sent him hurtling to the ground "You have an interesting form and a surprising well honed technique, at least by human standards. You have considerably more skill than even I had anticipated, and it seems that you continue to learn as you fight."
"Training alone is only enough to get you so far, sooner or later you have to put it to good use in a real battle."
"Such is a fact, experience is a crucial point of victory in battle."
"Yep. So do you wanna keep going?"
"As tempting as that may be, I have other matters to attend to and I do believe that I've witnessed enough for now." he glanced over "Jaken."
Sure enough, Jaken emerged from within the swamp with the staff in hand "Lord Sesshomaru at last, the Staff of Two Heads is ours once more!"
"Meaning that you lost it at one point."
"...Well actually-"
"I do not care." Sesshomaru took the staff and re-materialized the black pearl before dropping it on the ground "At last the moment has come." he brought the staff down on the black pearl, causing one of the heads on the staff to start laughing.
"The old man is laughing, it means that the tomb will open!" this was followed by a portal opening, and him being dragged through it by Sesshomaru, disappearing as they travelled through it.
Tatsu glanced down at the brooding/ woozy form of Inuyasha "So what the hell do we do now, go through it?"
"I say we go after that asshole!" Inuyasha quickly snapped out of his stupid and bolted up to his feet "No one sucker punches me like that and gets away with it! Oh yeah, and the whole fake mother thing too."
"Nice to know you have your priorities in order."
"Fuck off!"
"Enough squabbling you two, you have to go through the portal!" Myoga barked from where he was positioned on Inuyasha's shoulder "Do you want Lord Sesshomaru to take sole possession of your father's treasure?"
"What the hell do I care about that?"
"But sire…"
"Hey I never said I'm not going in there okay? Sesshomaru better say his prayers because he's as good as dead! Tatsu you stay here, this is way too dangerous- Where the hell did he go?"
"You gonna keep squawking or are you coming?" Tatsu dove head first into the portal without a second thought.
"Son of a-" Inuyasha bolted in after him, mere seconds before the portal closed, leaving no way to follow them.
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It only took a matter of seconds to cross through the portal.
Tatsu and Inuyasha quickly landed on the back of a large skeleton bird before they could hit the ground "Okay so this is unexpected, I pictured something more along the lines of blood, fire and corpses everywhere."
Inuyasha on the other hand was more focused on the massive armored skeleton sitting in front of them "Father…"
"You mean the gigantic dog skeleton is your dad- Wait a second. Actually that makes a lot of sense. But hot damn that thing is huge."
"You speak the truth." Myoga spoke up "The reason they're so huge is because the master himself was of incomparable stature, and now here he lies in his truest form undisguised with his sacred sword embedded in his bone, and that is what Lord Sesshomaru is after now."
"Which means we've gotta track it down before he does."
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Sesshomaru made his way down to the deepest depths of the skeleton to find what it was that he sought, in the form of a sword embedded in the ground "Here at last I have found what it is that I seek. At last I shall take possession of the sacred sword, the lethal legendary sword known to be able to kill 100 with one stroke, the Tessaiga." he gripped the handle of the sword.
Jaken looked on in awe "They say the blade of the sword as forged directly from the fang of your father's own mouth, once you take possession of the Tessaiga you possess his power and make it your very own."
"We shall see." Sesshomaru prepared to free the sword, only to retract his hand and find it to be burnt "It would seem that I was quite careless. Father has done his work well, the blade has been ensorcelled."
"SESSHOMARU!" that was when Inuyasha dropped down onto the scene "You and I aren't finished yet you son of a bitch!" he charged at Sesshomaru in a blind rage.
Sesshomaru dodged the charge with ease and looked down on Inuyasha with disdain "You should show more respect, keep in mind that this is the final resting place of our father."
"Like you're one to talk, you're the one trying to rob his grave!"
"Hey Inuyasha I think we found what we're looking for." Tatsu dropped down onto the scene and pointed at Tessaiga "Yeah we're totally dealing with a sword in the stone kind of thing."
"That thing? Seriously?"
"Yes!" Myoga barked "There it lies Master Inuyasha, the blade forged from the fang of your father, the Tessaiga!"
"What, you mean that piece of crap? That's gotta be some kind of lame joke, that thing couldn't cut a wet piece of paper."
"Listen to me Master Inuyasha, you have to draw the sword." Myoga then shot a dirty look in the direction of Sesshomaru "And you Lord Sesshomaru, you couldn't pull it out could you?"
"Do you mean to tell me that Inuyasha can?" Sesshomaru inquired.
"Well of course he can, after all it was always intended that Master Inuyasha inherited the sword for himself. Keep in mind that he was entrusted with the tomb after all, so- so that should be proof enough if you ask me."
"...You don't know after all."
"Of- Of course I do! Now hurry Master Inuyasha, hurry and claim your inheritance before we all die!"
"Say what?" Inuyasha let out a loud snort "What entrusted or inherited crap are you even going on about? For all I care the old man can keep that rusty piece of crap! What I do mind though is all that other stuff, good thing you're in a grave Sesshomaru because you're gonna die here and now!" and so he charged.
Sesshomaru dodged the attack with ease "Tell me Inuyasha, was that attack aimed at me or were you just throwing a tantrum like always?" he continued dodging Inuyasha's attacks without breaking a sweat "You fight as if you are still a child."
"Shut up!"
"Well it matches his personality for the most part." Tatsu noted "Anyway Inuyasha I think it's safe to say you're not gonna win like this so go pull the sword out."
"Hey, you stay out of this."
"I won't have to get involved if you get the damn sword already, Sesshomaru couldn't pull it out before so maybe he's not supposed to have it. Or if you want me to put this in terms even you can understand, pull out the sword to bruise his pride."
"...Oh, well you should have said that to begin with! I'll do it, if for no other reason but to see the look on his face when I rip it out in front of him." so Inuyasha made his way over to the Tessaiga and gripped the handle, without getting burned "This is gonna be a lot more fun than I thought it would be."
Jaken looked on in pure horror "How can this be, Inuyasha is immune to the spell that was able to ward off Lord Sesshomaru!"
"You got that right you damn little imp, it looks to me like this swords is destined for the greatness that is yours truly!" he pulled on the sword and tried to pull it out, resulting in a bright light shining throughout the area, but despite that Inuyasha was unable to pull the sword out of the ground.
"Well that was a letdown." Tatsu noted.
"...Hey Myoga?"
"Yes?" Myoga was promptly crushed between Inuyasha's fingers.
"I couldn't pull the sword out could I?"
"Uh… not really no."
"That's what I thought."
"Are you done? Because I am." having had enough, Sesshomaru blitzed forward.
Inuyasha dodged the attack, but he wasn't able to stop himself from getting pinned to a nearby wall by Sesshomaru "You son of a-"
"Tell me Inuyasha, have you ever experienced my Poison Claws?" he promptly hurled one of his poison claws forward.
Inuyasha barely managed to duck out of the way, causing the Poison Claw to leave a massive gaping hole in the skeleton wall 'That was way too close!'
"Running are we?" Sesshomaru caught Inuyasha using his poison whip and blew him clean off his feet, sending him skidding across the layer of bones and skulls.
Jaken let out a malicious chuckle "No need to worry Lord Sesshomaru, I shall personally take care of-"
"Bam." Tatsu promptly brought down the hilt of one of his swords on Jaken's head in a comical fashion.
"Why you little-" Jaken bolted back to his feet "You stinking human son of a-"
"Nope." Tatsu picked Jaken up by the staff and then proceeded to throw him clean out of the skeleton unceremoniously, then turned his attention to the sword "So then is it my destiny to pull it out then? No I doubt it, but just for the fun of it."
"The time has come for us to end this." Sesshomaru caught Inuyasha in a chokehold and prepared to finish him off with his poison claws, when…
"Now or never I guess." to the surprise of everyone present, Tatsu pulled the Tessaiga out of the ground as easily as breathing, earning looks of disbelief from everyone present "Huh. Not gonna lie, I did not expect that to work."
"I don't believe any of us did." Sesshomaru almost instantly halted his attack on Inuyasha and blitzed towards Tatsu, eying him intently "Neither myself nor Inuyasha was able to pull the sword out of the ground, and yet you were able to so easily. Is it due to the fact that you hold two of the fangs of Ryuhogo? No, this is something else entirely."
"Maybe it's a worthiness thing, whoever is deemed worthy by the standards of your father can use the sword."
"...Such a possibility does exist."
"Which would also mean that you're not supposed to have it."
"The fact that I have endured so long with a creature as frustrating as you is truly astonishing to me."
"Oh trust me Kagome is a lot worse, if you spend enough time around a firecracker like her then either your head explodes or you fall in love with her. I'm guessing you're in the former category."
"I will take your word for it, but yet Inuyasha has been patient and not killed you or this human female you mention. Certainly these feelings of mercy and compassion for mortals are not something that I had inherited from our great and terrible father. It must have been that human mother of his, the one who caused our father to meet his end and rest in this ignoble place for all of eternity. Her blood affects him as well so I cannot help but wonder, is it that which endears him to them? Of course when it comes to humans, I bear no such weaknesses."
"Well I'm human and you don't seem to hate me."
"You intrigue me if nothing else, and of course I do have respect for the powerful."
"Fair enough. Look I'll just hold onto the sword for now and give it to whoever wins when you two fight it out." and so Tatsu retreated out of the range of the battle that was inevitably about to commence.
"The fact is that men are such fragile and delicate creatures, would you not agree with such a sentiment little brother?"
"Sesshomaru, you son of a…" Inuyasha let out an outright snarl.
"And not just humans, of course I refer to half breeds as well."
"Shut up! Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" Inuyasha charged at Sesshomaru in a blind rage and launched his attack.
Sesshomaru dodged the attack with ease and caught Inuyasha in a chokehold, this time using the fluff draping over his shoulder "How could you think that with your filthy blood that you could ever be my equal?" he hurled Inuyasha back to the ground and then began relentlessly attacking him with his poison whip "You forget your station worthless half breed." he slammed him into the wall of the skeleton.
"A half breed am I…?" Inuyasha pulled himself back to his feet, only to be met with more attacks from the poison whip 'Yeah that's right, I remember now. My mother, she was crying, crying for me. She knew what it meant, what my life would be like. You know what, I say screw it. Half breed or full breed, to me it doesn't even matter but when you insult my mother that's when you piss me off. For the sake of my mother then if nothing else, I'm gonna make you suffer for that!" he charged at Sesshomaru at blinding new levels of speed, clawing off a piece of his armor in the process "That one was for my mother, and this one is what happens when you piss me off!" he burst forward and clawed another piece of his armor off.
Tatsu observed the clash from above with great interest 'So his rage is making him even more powerful, that actually makes a lot of sense.'
"So how do you like me now?"
Sesshomaru merely dusted himself off "All of that for one who is now merely but a memory, if I had known that was what it took to get you to fight seriously then I would've mentioned you being a half breed that much sooner."
"Oh that is it, now I'm gonna slit your stomach, rip out your guts and then shove them right up your ass! By the time I get done with you you're gonna wish that I killed you. Hey how did you like that one Tatsu?"
"6/10." Tatsu noted dryly.
"Oh come on, that was awesome."
"Hey I'm a tough scorer when it comes to trash talking, and besides what you need isn't a big mouth, but a tiny sword." Tatsu leapt down and held out the Tessaiga to Inuyasha "Call it a hunch but I think you're underestimating it, now figure out how things works and go wreck his shit."
"I side with him 100%!" Myoga piped up from Tatsu's shoulder "The sword holds secrets of which even I know not the fullest extent, why not go ahead and put the blade to the test and try it out on Lord Sesshomaru."
"Big words that such small vermin could never back up." Sesshomaru's eyes snapped wide open as an aura of pure demonic energy began swirling around him, sending skulls and bones flying everywhere "I suppose the time has come for us to determine if a half breed is even capable of wielding the Tessaiga, I myself and the Fangs of Ryuhogo shall be the witnesses." and so as his eyes turned a menacing shade of crimson, he transformed into his true form, that being the form of a massive white dog demon.
"Looks to me like now we know what he really looks like." Inuyasha gave a smirk as he got into a stance with the Tessaiga "Too bad for you, now that I'm using this I'm gonna kick his ass for sure. Yep now I'd say this battle is just about over before it's even started. Tatsu get the hell out of here, this battle is all mine."
"Hey I only came because I was bored, Lord of the Fluff up there is all yours." and so Tatsu then backed off and retreated to high ground, watching the fight with interest.
"Alright, here goes nothing. Okay sword this is it, if you're gonna show me what you're made of then it better be now!" so Inuyasha charged towards Sesshomaru and attempted to cut him down using Tessaiga, only for the blade to bounce off, so as a result he ended up being forced on the evasive "Dammit the thing didn't even make a scratch."
"Not to mention the acid drool."
"I noticed. Hey Myoga what the fuck gives, this sword can't even scratch let alone cut anything you jackass!"
"Well if that is the case Master Inuyasha then I suppose the sword will make a lovely heirloom if nothing else, besides it's the thought that counts, now if you'll excuse me I'm going to run for my life." and so Myoga bolted off.
"Wait what the hell are you-"
"And don't let Lord Sesshomaru push you around okay? and then he shamelessly ran away, something he'll be doing a lot.
"Okay new plan, kill Sesshomaru and then crush Myoga under my foot."
"You did that before." Tatsu pointed out.
"That was just to make him shut up, this time I know to use the big toe." Inuyasha began dodging various poisonous claw attacks from Sesshomaru, the poison engulfing the entire area in a matter of moments 'Looks like his poison is about as effective as ever, even normal demons wouldn't be able to deal with this stuff for very long. Even I won't be able to stay down here for that much longer, I'd better get moving.' he bolted upwards in an attempt to escape the range of the poison, but found that his vision was getting blurry and he couldn't move any further than he already had 'Dammit my arms and legs are going numb.'
With a malicious snarl, Sesshomaru caught Inuyasha in his jaw and bit down, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Oh for fuck's sake, even a mosquito with wooden teeth must be able to bite harder than this piece of crap."
With a loud roar, Sesshomaru leapt up towards the top of the tomb and burst out through the ceiling.
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As a result of crashing through the roof of the tomb, Sesshomaru finally released his teeth grinding hold on Inuyasha as they settled on their next place to battle: their father's right shoulder.
Myoga popped up on Inuyasha's shoulder "Now you understand the true power of your new sword the Tessaiga, oh I have no doubt in my mind that you're giving Lord Sesshomaru exactly what he deserves!"
"And where the hell have you been?" Inuyasha let out a snort "This thing is about as useful as a rusty toothpick!"
"...Oh, so maybe it isn't from your father. Well then… bye!" and then he bolted.
"And why the hell should I not be surprised that he bolted? In the meantime what the hell am I supposed to do with this thing?" Inuyasha started dodging Sesshomaru's attacks again, trying to use the sword to attack but to no avail.
Tatsu let out a sigh from where he was watching the battle perched atop the demon's gigantic skull "Well this is getting boring, I wish I brought snacks."
"You're not helping."
"I'm not trying to help."
"No shit."
"You're not even getting close to hitting him."
"I see that."
"You're not harnessing the sword's power properly."
"There's nothing to harness you dipshit, this sword is basically just a glorified toothpick! Me I'll live no problem since I'm half demon, you on the other hand I'm actually kind of hoping for the opposite."
"Nice to know you give a shit about those stronger than you."
"You are not stronger than me!"
"Yes I am."
"No you're not."
"Yeah I am and you know why? Because I train to get strong to protect the people that I care about, I fight for the sake of others but you just fight for yourself and that's why the sword rejects you."
"Are you seriously trying to make me believe that if I scream out loud that I'll protect you then the sword will magically work for me?"
"You have a better idea?"
"...Fuck it why not, just stay here and watch and if I happen to get slaughtered then I'll just come back and haunt you forever." and so Inuyasha just made his way towards Sesshomaru, almost immediately being met with a menacing snarl "Yeah yeah roar to you too you gigantic furry asshole, now let's just get this over with." he raised the sword to him, only to suddenly find it pulsing "Okay that's new, it feels kind of like that pulsing sound from before but this time it's somehow different." the sword was enveloped in a white light.
Jaken took this chance to act like Sesshomaru's personal cheerleader "Go Lord Sesshomaru, get that mangy half breed mutt and bite his little head off and nibble on his little-"
"Bam." Tatsu promptly slammed down on Jaken's head with the hilt of his sword like he was playing some version of Whack a Mole "Speaking of eating, take my advice and sleep with both eyes open tonight you little bastard. Hey Inuyasha, if you're gonna wreck his shit then now would be the best time to do it."
"And that's exactly what I plan to do!" and with a mighty roar Inuyasha charged at Sesshomaru at full speed, the newly transformed blade slicing Sesshomaru's left arm clean off in the process, much to both of their surprise as he started at the sword "It looks like a fang."
"It's made from your father's fang dipshit."
"It was just an observation you ass!" Inuyasha turned his attention back to Sesshomaru, his overconfidence reaching new levels "What the hell do you know, the old man really did leave me something worthwhile. So here we are, two brothers fighting over father's sword but compared to the likes of him you and I are nothing. You don't seem to get it, you and I are just like a couple of fleas jumping around on his body and we'd be lucky if he didn't squash us flat. Maybe I was still too young to remember him when he died but keep in mind that I was the one father chose to use to hide his tomb, I'd rather give up an eye than give up his sword, so I guess that means I'm not as worthless as you make me out to be am I?" and with a mighty roar he used the Tessaiga to cut down Sesshomaru, sending him flying off of the skeleton and hurtling down into the mist covered abyss below, only for him to turn into a ball of light and disappear from the gravesite entirely, knowing that he had lost but would live to fight another day.
"Lord Sesshomaru wait, don't leave me!" Jaken wasted no time in rushing off after him, which left our two heroes alone.
Panting slightly from the exhaustion he felt from the battle, Inuyasha wasted no time in digging the sword into the ground "You know I take it back, this sword isn't just some worthless piece of crap after all."
"Now do you see?" Myoga popped up on Inuyasha's shoulder "I was right after all, of course if you had listened to me earlier you never would've-"
"Had the chance to swat you like a fly?" Tatsu readied his iron club as he and Inuyasha both shared a menacing smirk.
"Wait wait wait hear me out, I didn't run away see?" he pointed to some skeleton birds sitting a few feet away from them "I was just getting us a ride to get us back home, you do believe me don't you?"
"Not even for a second." Tatsu threw Myoga on the ground and proceeded to repeatedly smash him with his iron club.
"Okay- ow- I- ow- admit it- ow! Alright alright I ran away but the two of you have to believe me when I say that if I had known you were gonna make a comeback then I never would've left the two of you- Oh great mother of Buddha that hurts!"
"You are not helping your case here flea."
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It didn't take long before Tatsu and Inuyasha returned back through the portal back to the village, with the black pearl being restored to Inuyasha's eye "So that was a pretty fun waste of a day and a half, so you doing okay now?"
"I actually feel just about fine." Inuyasha told him "I can finally see out of my right eye again and at least now I know that the old man can rest in peace knowing that I have his sword."
"You still need to learn how to use it."
"And you need to deal with Kagome being pissed at you when she finds out you screwed her on this whole thing, protecting her or not I know when not to piss off a woman."
"...Oh shit."
"Yeah."
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17 minutes later…
Tatsu met up with Kaede and Kagome (the latter being mad about getting shafted from the serious stuff the way that she was) to discuss the recent events "I just don't get it though, how is it that could pull out the sword like something out of Excalibur when Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had no luck on that? I mean is it because I'm a Dragon Slayer, because that would make sense but it doesn't seem feasible to make that the explanation for everything."
"My theory is that it has something to do with you being mortal." Myoga told him "Keep in mind that the Tessaiga was forged by Master Inuyasha's father for the sake of protecting his mortal mother, it was the compassion that he held towards mortals that allowed him to wield it effectively."
"Well we both decided "fuck it" and went for that, and that's what made the sword finally start to cooperate with him."
"For someone like Lord Sesshomaru who normally only holds distaste for mortals, at the moment it would be impossible for him to wield the Tessaiga. For Master Inuyasha he's spent so long seeing his half human heritage as a curse, the feelings for his mother being akin to those of great shame."
"You think so?"
"But at the same time that's what makes him different from others, which must be why he was chosen to hide his father's tomb." Kagome guessed.
"I guess Inuyasha's more like his father than even Sesshomaru is, but it's not like he would ever admit it."
"Yeah he's way too proud to admit it."
"I can take care of that with enough time, he wouldn't be the first tsundere that I was successful in breaking after all."
"Didn't that guy end up in an asylum or something?"
"It's not as bad as what happened the last time you tried to play matchmaker."
"When are you gonna stop holding that over my head?"
"When they find his body. But anyway Inuyasha still sticks around, so I guess any old dog can learn a new trick when you're dealing with someone as iron willed as me."
"I was gonna say stubborn as heck."
"Either way works right?"
A/N:
And thus we see the acquisition of two of the most important plot developments, the Phantom Sword and what may very well be the most powerful demon in the Feudal Era world. Sesshomaru has always been one of my two favorite characters from the Inuyasha anime, you can't convince me that he's not the best character in the series so don't even try, so this is something I was really looking forward to.
I didn't exactly want to cut Kagome out of this chapter, but I thought it would make more sense if Tatsu went with Inuyasha on his own and actually tried to help in the fight with Sesshomaru. Plus Kagome being cut out is going to be made into part of a plot device that I have in mind for later in the story.
Now then, I know that 2020 has been a rough year to say the least, and not just because of the virus. I mean take me for example, the way I started off 2020 was with my dog dying. But in any case, no matter what hell we've gone through over the past year, or whatever hell comes next, we still have things in our lives that we have to cherish and be grateful for, especially on days like today. Let me close this out by wishing all of you a happy Thanksgiving 2020, and make you stay safe out there.