A Dragon's Fang, a Human's Heart

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

A human with the power of a demon. To many such an idea sounds ludicrous, does it not? Well he's here to prove them wrong. He will journey across time with the love of his life on his journey as he fights for friendship, for honor, for life, and above all, for love. Rewrite of the Rise of a Warrior: Inuyasha.

13. Enter the Wind Scar

(Enter the Wind Scar)

"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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Another night had come, and the moon was shining brightly over the skies above Japan.

An old man by the name of Totosai wandered through the countryside on the back of a three eyed bull demon, discussing with an old friend a certain topic of great relevance "Myoga my friend, you had better not be deceiving me. As this brat or whatever his name is really managed to master the Tessaiga?"

"His name is Inuyasha, the younger son of the master." Myoga pointed out dryly.

"Oh yeah right Inuyasha, he's the son of Lord Toga, the Great Dog Demon who gave me his fang so that I could use it to forge a sword. He's the runt of the litter, that's what you said right?"

"He is the younger son of the master yes, and you had better learn some respect. I've seen him use the power of the Wind Scar to slay over 100 demons with a single stroke of his sword. Although you should keep in mind that I've only seen him do it once, and to my knowledge he hasn't been able to wield that power since then."

"Perhaps the reason for that is because he doesn't deserve to wield the Tessaiga. I should know, I am the one that forged it after all. But to be sure about this, I suppose I'll just have to test his worth and see it for myself."

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Meanwhile, with the lackey of the other son…

"Hot hot hot hot hot!" at the same time, Jaken was making his way through a patch of land that just so happened to be scorching underneath his feet "What kind of a hellhole is this place, the rocks under my feet are red from the heat. And now I smell roasting meat coming from somewhere nearby, and a very painful burning sensation in my feet. Wait a minute." he looked down at his burning feet, which prompted him to run screaming through the scorching terrain until he finally arrived at his destination, a large cave shaped like a demon "Oh here we are, this must be it. Are you here Totosai? I hope for your sake that you had finished the sword you were commissioned to forge for us, this is the promised date of delivery that we agreed on." he received no reply, which quickly aggravated him "Hey come out here you wretch, I'm talking to you!" he poked his head inside the cave, only to be met with shock at the sight of a message engraved on one of the walls of the cave "What do you mean you moved?! Damn that cowardly wretch, where the hell would he have gone? Does he truly believe that he could escape from the wrath of Lord Sesshomaru?" at the mention of the name in question, he felt his blood run cold as he slowly turned around.

As it turns out, Sesshomaru was standing before him looking far more menacing than he usually did, mainly because of the fact that he was smiling at Jaken "So then Totosai has fled?"

"I beg for your forgiveness Lord Sesshomaru, but that arrogant swordsmith is known to be very tempermental, and he only forges swords if he takes a personal liking to the customer that ordered the sword in question."

"I'm fully aware of these details about him, keep in mind Jaken that I've known Totosai for far longer than you have. It was clear to me that he had no intention of forging a sword that suits my purpose, and so he took his leave. What surprises me is simply the fact that he waitied to flee from me for as long as he did."

"Well you can't blame him for not liking you, I mean your resume is one long death wish." it was only after this came out that Jaken realized his mistake, and he looked up in horror to witness the sight of Sesshomaru smiling at him "You- You're smiling?! Oh I beg of you, please don't smile at me Lord Sesshomaru, please get angry! You're always much harder on me when you're being passive aggressive so I beg of you, please be straight with me!"

"Let's be on our way Jaken." so Sesshomaru promptly turned around and started walking in the opposite direction.

'I think I just shortened my life by 100 years.'

'Putting aside the fact that that ignorant fool there just shortened his life by 100 years, what's more important right now is finding Totosai, and considering who he is and what he's done for my father in the past, I may very well know where he fled to, and who it is he seeks.'

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Morning came, and the sun was shining brightly over the skies above Feudal Japan.

There was a rather tense silence hanging over the group, until Kagome finally broke it, her voice soft and filled with a fair amount of regret "I can't believe I let the jewel shards get stolen so easily like that."

"For fuck's sake Kagome, quit worry about that already." this was when Inuyasha decided to try and comfort her, in his own Inuyasha-esque way "It's not like Kikyo went and took all of the shards of the jewel, we'll just have to go out and track down some more of them. It's not that big of a deal, so stop acting like it's the end of the world."

'He's being… surprisingly understanding about this.'

"Stop giving me that look."

'He's not usually so understanding about this sort of thing.' Tatsu glanced at Inuyasha, then over towards Sango and the others 'Chances are a pretty big reason behind him being so nonchalant is the fact that it was Kikyo that took the jewel shards from Kagome. I honestly don't know how to feel about it. On one hand I'm trying to see things from his perspective, defending the woman that he loves and believing with every fiber of his being that she has a good reason for why she did what she did, because if it were me and Kagome in their place then I would probably do the exact same thing. On the other hand, the part I can't look past is the part from before she took the jewel shards… the part where she tried to kill Kagome. I can't get that image out of my head, the sight of her breaking down crying in my arms that night… it just kills me.'

"Hey listen up dipshit, if you think that I'm just trying to protect Kikyo then you're living in a fucking fantasy!"

'And then there's his attitude over the whole thing, whenever he thinks we're pussyfooting around him over the whole situation then he starts lashing out at us.'

"You totally think I'm going soft on her aren't you? If you've got something to say then spit it the fuck out already!"

"If you're that insistent on it, then here it is. Stealing the jewel shards is one thing, but that's not the part that gets under my skin. She looked me in the eye and told me right to my face about her trying to kill Kagome that night, and she laughed about it. If you can think of a good way to justify that, then I'm all ears."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, then closed it when he couldn't think of anything, and he just let out a huff and looked away indignantly.

"That's what I though. Look Inuaysha I know how you feel, and I'm trying to look at this from your perspective, and so are the rest of us. But that's the part that can't be overlooked, and unless you can give me a good reason to, then that's the way it's going to stay." this was followed by the sound of mooing in the distance "You can whine about it as much as you want, none of us are going to change our minds."

"That's not me you stupid jackass, it's probably just some cattle around here." then the two of them looked up at the sound of more mooing, which was immediately followed by the appearance of a demon bull with Totosai riding on its back.

"And now we're dealing with this."

"So it seems, so who the hell is the old guy?"

"My name is Totosai and I came to see you Inuyasha, now draw your sword." Totosai told him, quick to get to the point.

'Great, now apparently this old geezer knows my name.'

"I'm coming at you whether you draw your sword or not, so be prepared!" Totosai promptly brandished a large mallet and pounced at Inuyasha.

"And now we're dealing with this, everyone just get back." Inuyasha drew the Tessaiga just in time to block a strike from Totosai's mallet, though he was pushed backwards a fair distance by the blow 'Huh, looks like the old man isn't totally senile after all.'

"I can hear that sword swinging like an old saw with the dull resinence and the like, this brat can't be the right one to use it."

"This brat can hear everything you're saying you miserable old fucker, now tell me what the hell you want already!" Inuyasha charged at Totosai and brought down the Tessaiga.

"Nope." Totosai pulled something out of his robe, a large piece of leather, and he promptly used it to stop the Tessaiga mid-swing "There we are, now stop griping and hold it still already."

"What the hell is that supposed to be?"

"What does it look like, leather for the blade. You've been far too rough with her, this blade is all nicked up. What have you been doing with this sword, chopping down trees?"

"What the hell do you know about it, and again I ask, who the hell are you?"

"Alright calm down Totosai, I think that's enough of that." this was when Myoga suddenly popped up on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Oh great you're back Myoga, so what the hell are you doing here?"

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About 20 minutes of discussion later…

"You serious about this?" Inuyasha blinked at what he and the others were being told "So you mean you're the swordsmith who forged the Tessaiga in the first place?"

"That's precisely it." Totosai gave a simple nod "I am the man who first forged the Tessaiga from a fang that was given to me by your father. Only certain circles of the finest demons who master the art of the sword, can be acquainted with my work."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm pretty sure that's just a polite way of saying he's not very famous." Kagome told him.

"I don't give a rat's ass if you're famous or not old man."

"Well in any case, after seeing you in action with the Tessaiga, I have to say that the sword is being badly misused and abused in your possession." Totosai told him flatly "It sings a sad song indeed, and to see my work being being treated in such a way makes my heart ache."

"If you showed up like this because you want to pick a fight with me then just spit it the hell out already."

"Honestly Myoga, this is absolutely useless. A weapon like the Tessaiga can't be entrusted to someone with as short of a temper as this arrogant whelp."

"Yes Totosai, I see what you mean." Myoga popped up on Totosai's shoulder "The way that things are right now, it would probably be for the best if he just gave up on the sword than go into battle with it so recklessly, in a way in which he blindly tries to rely on the power of the sword when he doesn't have the necessary discipline to wield it properly."

"Yes there's no use in stalling over it, I'll have to take back the Tessaiga immediately and then break it in half."

"You wanna run that the fuck by me again?" Inuyasha promptly held the Tessaiga to Totosai's throat when he heard this "I couldn't give less of a shit who made this sword you dried up metal bender, but it's mine and I'm gonna run you through with it if you even think about breaking it, you got that?"

"I don't have to break the sword, it was little more than a thought I swear!" the blade was pulled away from his throat.

"Sorry about that, this one is on me." Myoga told him "In all fairness, I probably should've warned you in advance about his temper."

"Don't worry about it, I'll just sneak the sword away from him when he's not looking and then melt it into cutlery." the blade was once again pointed at his throat "I swear I'm only joking, I swear on my life!"

"Putting that aside Master Inuyasha, the fact is that you haven't been able to unravel the mystery of the Tessaiga on your own. Granted you have tried since that night, but you can't figure out how to tap into the power that killed the 100 demons in a single stroke, but Totosai here does have the knowledge of its secret, and I think that if you both took the time to get to know each other and learn to cooperate, then you can awaken and harness the full power of the Tessaiga."

"It's not like there's some huge overarching mystery. I'm gonna get the hang of it at some point, I just need more practice."

"I understand that you and your companions here have been collecting shards of the Shikon Jewel for a fair amount of time now." Totosai noted "Who knows how many demons there are that have acquired multiple shards of the jewel, and you know how difficult it is to do battle with demons that have more than one in their possession. Don't you want to awaken the full potential within the Tessaiga in order to destroy the demons with the enhanced strength you would receive?"

"Oh please."

"Be fair about this Inuyasha, he does have a point about this." Miroku noted, with Sango nodding in agreement "It's only fair to at least listen to what he has to say."

"...Fine fuck it, I guess it couldn't hurt." so he promptly sheathed the Tessaiga "So what do I have to do for this?"

"Well before anything else, I have to tell you that there is someone that seeks my life." Totosai told him "It wasn't long ago that a fool barged into my home and ordered me to forge a sword that would rival the power of the Tessaiga and said that if I refused then he would kill me. What I want is for you to protect me from him." he was promptly grabbed by the face.

"You know it wouldn't kill you to say please before you ask for answers."

"Well I didn't have time to go into the details!"

"You also didn't have time to tell me about this apparently." Myoga pointed out "So what did this one look like?"

"He has long white hair, and he wears a cloak made of something white and furry."

"What, you talking about something old geezer?"

"Guess again."

"Hold up a second." this was when Tatsu finally offered some input to the conversation "You're saying that he's young, dressed in white fur and wants a sword stronger than Tessaiga… does he have a crescent moon shaped mark on his forehead?"

"He does."

"So then is it-"

"He… He's here."

"So he is." Tatsu and the others glanced up to see Sesshomaru riding onto the scene on the back of a two-headed dragon demon, and he gave a grin as he drew his swords off his back "Looks to me like things just got a lot more interesting."

"Why do you say that, who is he?" asked Sango.

"That would be Sesshomaru, he's Inuyasha's older half-brother and without a doubt the toughest opponent I've ever faced, human or demon."

"You've fought him before?"

"Twice, and to be honest I didn't fare very well in either case. The first time I fought him I only had the power of one fang, and I was barely able to scratch him. The second time I had two fangs like I do now, but the problem there was that he had the Tessaiga going for him. To make a long story short, that fight ended with him missing an arm and me lying face down in a pool of my own blood, and then I was bedridden for days." this was when they looked over to see Kagome with her bow aimed and an arrow locked and loaded, which left him more than a little bit unsettled at the sight of it "What are you doing?"

"You said it yourself, you almost got killed the last time you fought him." Kagome pointed out, then let out a sigh "I couldn't do anything but stand there and watch while you were getting ripped apart. I'm not going to stand by and let something like that happen again, I can't and I won't stand by and be useless anymore."

"Kagome… Listen, as much as I appreciate the thought, this is the worst possible guy to try and test it out on. Just hang back okay, I'll take care of this."

It was at this moment that Sesshomaru dropped to the ground in front of the group, his demeanor as calm, collected and cold as it ever was "Tell me Inuyasha, what reason do you have to conspire with Totosai to plot against me?"

"Oh wow, let me think about that." Totosai poked his head out from where he was hiding himself behind Inuyasha "Because you happen to be evil incarnate?"

"Tell me Totosai, based on your attitude towards me it would seem that you are looking into an early retirement into your grave." that made him hide behind Inuyasha again.

"I- I never said I was talking about you Sesshomaru, so why don't we wait to discuss your sword until after you battle it out with Inuyasha and his friends?"

"You sure changed your tune pretty quick." Kagome shot him a dirty look "You're not really big on loyalty are you?"

"Did I really? I don't remember." this earned a groan of frustration from Kagome, not to mention a number of others.

"Totosai, your word is as good as a blood vow to me." Sesshomaru told him flatly "You heard that as well, did you not Inuyasha? All I need to do is kill you, and then he will forge my sword as I desire… supposedly." and so he charged at them.

"Kagome run for cover!" Sango and Miroku were quick to take off running, which almost immediately prompted Kagome and Totosai to do the same.

"You may as well accept your fate Inuyasha."

"Yeah well I say fuck that, let's just see who kills who!" Inuyasha was quick to draw Tessaiga from its sheath and charge at Sesshomaru at full speed.

Totosai and the others watched the battle starting to unfold from the sidelines "You can tell by the tempers they share that they're related."

"Hey in case you forgot, you're the one that started this whole thing!" Kagome took the chance to round on him.

"Did I really?"

"Oh for the love of-"

"Easy Kags, pull it back." Tatsu was quick to calm her down "Yeah that's how you know he's friends with Myoga, self preservation wins out pretty easily. Speaking of which, he's over with the others right now so that's where the safest place is right now. Hurry and get over there with the others before you get caught in the crossfire." this prompted Totosai to do just that, not that either of them bothered to acknowledge it.

"I'm not leaving you behind with him around."

"And I'm not letting you get caught in the crossfire because you're so stubborn, nor am I arguing with you about this."

"You're going to jump into the fight the first chance you get."

"Of course I am, look who you're talking to. But in any case I'm gonna be fine, just watch and see for yourself." and before anything else could be said, Tatsu promptly rushed out onto the battlefield just in time to see Inuyasha get slugged in the face and sent crashing to the ground "You should've known this was going to happen the minute you saw me here."

"I knew from the moment I picked up your scent." Sesshomaru told him flatly, then studied him for a moment "So you've fully recovered from our last encounter."

"You can thank Kagome for that, turns out she has healing abilities, and since I've been back on my feet we've gotten a few new companions." he jerked a thumb over at Sango and Kirara "And I've been working on using my elemental abilities in a few new and creative ways. Case and point, observe." he promptly covered his body in metal dragon scales "These grant me enhanced levels of durability and attack power, so while your attacks still have a lot of power going for them, they won't cause as much damage to my body as before."

"We shall see about that."

"That's what I came over for, so do you want to make the first move then?"

"If you insist." Sesshomaru blitzed forward and elbowed Tatsu clear in the face, then blitzed behind him and aimed an attack from behind using his poison claws

Tatsu ducked under the attack and aimed a barrage of punches at Sesshomaru's head while dodging several at the same time, before aiming a kick at his head.

Sesshomaru caught the kick with his poison whip, burning through the metallic scales covering his right leg, and quickly hurled him across the clearing they were in.

Tatsu rebounded and charged at Sesshomaru with a kick aimed at his head.

Sesshomaru disappeared and burst up from underground as he used his claws to slash Tatsu clear across the face, then aimed his poison claws to deal a finishing blow.

Tatsu rolled out of the way and dealt Sesshomaru a sharp kick to the face, sending him skidding backward a fair distance.

Sesshomaru rebounded, blitzed in front of Tatsu before he could react and then kicked him straight in the gut, sending him hurtling into the air, then blitzed above him and followed up with a poison claw attack to the chest, sending him hurtling backwards a great distance.

Tatsu quickly rebounded and used a burst of energy from one hand to levitate himself above the surface, and then he used it to shoot himself back upwards at high speed, in which he began clashing with Sesshomaru, the two trading even blows, poisonous whip clashing against the blades of two swords.

The clash ended when Sesshomaru dealt Tatsu a poison claw to the face, sending him hurtling towards the ground.

Tatsu rebounded as he hit the ground and wiped the blood from his lip, though the poison he was exposed to had destroyed the majority of his metallic dragon scales 'Well I definitely should've expected this, even with these dragon scales acting like armor his attacks are still as effective as ever.'

"Your technique has improved and you appear to be more nimble in your movements, despite the weight of those scales decreasing your speed."

"They do to a certain extent, but at the same time they act as training tools, they make my muscles stronger whenever I use them for long periods of time. I try to find practical uses for my abilities and get creative with them, I find that's the best way to get ahead."

"Such is your way. However, despite your attempts to amuse me, it does not change the fact that my business is with Totosai." he then turned his attention over to Totosai "Tell me Totosai, do you not feel sorry for the Tessaiga? Despite all of the power hidden within its blade, the sword is little more than a simple wooden club the way Inuyasha swings it around like a simpleton. The fact that a mere human, Fangs of Ryuhogo or not, displays greater proficiency with a blade than him is simply laughable. A sword can live or die, but it all depends on the master of said sword."

"I choose to take that as a compliment."

"Yes a wise observation, I must agree with you on that." Totosai nodded in agreement.

"See, even the cowardly old man with the big mouth gets it."

"Speaking of the big mouth, why don't you shut yours for once?" Inuyasha barked as he pulled himself back to his feet "Keep it up and you're sure as hell gonna have something to worry about, and that goes for the old man too. I'm only warming up, so don't be too shocked when you guys see the power that I've really got!" he charged at Sesshomaru and started swinging the Tessaiga in a wild fashion.

'Oh joy, now the blood's rushing to his head. That's when you know it's about to turn into something worse.'

"Come at me you son of a bitch!"

"You exhaust me to an endless extent." Sesshomaru promptly grabbed Inuyasha by the wrist of the hand he was using to hold the Tessaiga, and then he started burning through the flesh using his poison claws "Tell me then Totosai, do you still refuse to make me a sword that rivals the power of the Tessaiga?"

"Oh wait, let me think about it… No way in hell!" Totosai promptly breathed out a blast of fire at them, forcing Tatsu and Sesshomaru to leap out of the way, but leaving Inuyasha to be comically burned by the flames.

"Oh that was a huge fucking help!" once the flames died down, Inuyasha then proceeded to leave him with a massive comical bump on the head.

"Quit your whining, you have the Robe of the Fire Rat to protect you!"

"So that is your final answer then?" Sesshomaru calmly landed on the other side of the wall of flames "You absolutely refuse to oblige my request?"

"Pipe down already you ungrateful mongrel, you know as well as I do that I've already forged an excellent sword for you. Not just any sword either, no I'm referring to the sword that you now wear strapped to your side… the Tensegia. Like with the Tessaiga, I forged that blade from a fang that was given to me by your father. It was clearly instructed by him that the elder brother would receive the Tenseiga, while the younger brother would receive the Tessaiga. That was the last wish of your father. The Tenseiga happens to be a great sword among great swords, and as such it is no better and no worse than the Tessaiga, so you should learn to respect its abilities rather than act like such an ungrateful dog!"

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From their place on the sidelines, Kagome and the others were rather taken aback by what they were hearing "So that old man made Sesshomaru's sword too?"

"Though come to think of it, I've never seen Sesshomaru actually draw his sword in any of the battles we've fought against him up until now." Miroku pointed out "Have you?"

"Well we've only seen him the one time, Tatsu and Inuyasha are the only ones that have met him more than once."

"He didn't use it either of the times I fought him, I can tell you that much." Tatsu promptly made his way over to the group as he resheathed his swords "The first time was when he was going after the Tessaiga and that whole mess led to him losing his left arm, and the other time was back when he got the Tessaiga using that jewel shard and human arm Naraku gave him. The second time is pretty self explanatory, he had the Tessaiga so he didn't need his other sword."

"But you're saying he never used it the first time you had encountered him, even when you fought him yourself?" asked Sango "Didn't that ever strike you as odd?"

"Not really, I had always assumed that he never used his sword against me back then because he didn't think he needed to. Even without the sword going for him, I was using both of mine and went at him with everything I had and I still couldn't scratch him. Looking back, I got off pretty easily when I fought him. If he wanted to then he could've killed me pretty easily.

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Meanwhile, back with the main battle…

"So that's it then?" Sesshomaru scowled at what Totosai was telling him "Do you really dare to imply that this useless sword that I carry is worthy of me?" he let out a low growl over what he said next "Perhaps you value your life much less than what I've been led to believe."

"Oh wow, I've made you angry have I? Well then it's time for us to take our leave!" and so over a terrified laugh, Totosai slammed his mallet into the ground and unleashed a powerful wave of flames that forced Sesshomaru to retreat back a short distance and surround him with a pool of molten lava, while he and the others promptly took the opportunity to retreat.

'So they chose to escape then. No matter, I'll find them soon enough, and then I shall take the Tessaiga for myself. Why Father chose to leave it to Inuyasha is something about him that I will never understand.'

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Meanwhile, with the Inu Gang…

"Okay hold up a second, I'm noticing a gaping plot hole here." once they were a fair distance away, Tatsu was quick to point out something rather obvious "If you can breath fire and generate flames that are hot enough to turn earth into lava, then why the hell do you need us to protect you in the first place?"

"You claim to have fought Sesshomaru twice before, so you yourself understand how powerful he truly is." Totosai pointed out "What I did earlier would barely even slow him down, and even then not for very long."

"...Okay yeah that's true."

"It's such a shame though. Sesshomaru calls his great sword useless, and Inuyasha is useless with his great sword. How I overestimated both of the sons of the Great Dog Demon."

"You wanna run that the fuck by me again?!" Inuyasha promptly rounded on Totosai, and then proceeded to leave numerous comical bumps on his head "Don't fucking call me useless, you got that you old geezer?"

"...Duly noted."

"You know Totosai, this whole thing with Sesshomaru and his sword actually does raise some questions." Sango pointed out "Is it really as powerful as the Tessaiga like you said?"

"You mean the Tenseiga don't you? That sword has abilities unlike anything I've ever encountered before. When the Great Dog Demon had first commissioned me to make it, I shuddered at the very thought of the immense powers it possessed."

"But if that is the case he has his own sword then why does he want the Tessaiga so badly to begin with?"

"Well…"

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Hours passed, and the sun was beginning to set.

Inuyasha could only blink at what he was hearing "So you're saying that sword has a blade that doesn't even cut? If that is the case then how the hell are you supposed to use a sword like that in a fight?"

"That's just it, the Tenseiga is not a sword that is meant to be used on the enemy." Totosai told him flatly "To put it in simple terms, it is meant to act as a sword of healing."

"What do you mean?"

"The Tessaiga is a sword that is used to defeat the powerful, and the Tenseiga is a sword has the ability to save the lives of the weak."

"Saves lives how exactly?" asked Sango.

"If the one who wields the sword has kindness at heart aimed towards humanity, then the Tenseiga will have the power to save 100 lives in one sweep."

"So the two swords act as polar opposites to each other." Tatsu frowned in thought "One sword has the power to kill 100 people in one stroke, and the other one has the power to save 100 people in one stroke. So by that logic, the sword isn't really a weapon at all. I guess it only makes sense, in an era like this one people are being slaughtered left and right."

"Indeed, it does have the ability to call back 100 dead souls, hence why I almost called the sword the coffin cheater, but I opted for Tenseiga instead."

"Keep a similar theme going?"

"That and it was a little bit more classy, and actually it was Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father that suggested the name."

"Fair enough."

"So that's how it is." Inuyasha muttered "No wonder Sesshomaru wanted you to make him another sword, he can't use. He doesn't have a single ounce of kindness or compassion or any of that good stuff in him towards humans, let alone saving lives."

"Yeah, I know what you mean there. I mean he does has a strong sense of honor from what I can tell."

"But there's a big difference between honor and compassion."

"It's such a shame that this isn't working." Totosai let out a sigh "After all, this was the last wish left behind by your father."

"Yeah well the old man's plan didn't work out, whatever the hell it might be."

"Well I guess only time will tell." Tatsu gave a shrug and leaned back against a nearby tree, then glanced over and noticed Kagome huddled by herself against another tree "You okay? You've been pretty quiet since we landed."

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine… I've just got a few things on my mind…" Kagome let out a sigh "Do you think it's true, what Sesshomaru said earlier? About how a sword can live or die depending on the one who uses it?"

"Actually yeah I do, that's one of the first principles Akira taught me."

"I see. So then if it's in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use it, then a sword could be destroyed pretty easily. If that is the case, then I know what I have to do. Tonight, I'm going to start training with my dad to learn how to use a sword.'

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Nightfall came, and the moon and stars were shining brightly over Feudal Japan.

Kagome opened her eyes and found herself in the same void as usual "You don't have to hide yourself from me dad, I know you're there."

Sure enough, from within the void emerged Kisuke Higurashi, clad in a white martial arts gi and with two swords in hand "I can see that you have that same fire in your eyes as you always do baby girl. So you're ready for what's going to come next?"

"I have to be. People like Sesshomaru and Naraku are still out there, and Tatsu and the others aren't going to hesitate in fighting them with everything they've got. I can't just stand by and do nothing while that happens, so I have to be ready in any way I can."

"Well if that is the case, then why don't we see for ourselves just how far you can go." Kisuke then gave Kagome a small smile as he handed her one of the swords he held, and it was then that they got started "Now the first thing you have to understand is that the weapon you hold, whether or a sword or any other, acts as an extension of yourself. As such, you have to think of it as another part of your own body."

"You mean like another arm?"

"Essentially yes, one that's extra long and incredibly sharp. Also I probably should mention this to you while I can, but you have to take constant care of the blade, or else it will get dull the more you use it, and going into battle with a dull blade can have dire consequences. The sword is a simple tool, the same as with any weapon, but in the hands of one that knows how to use it to its fullest potential, it can become the most versatile of weapons, and just as ones imagination has no limitations, the same goes for the possibilities of a sword."

"You mean like, a sword can live or die dependong on its master."

"Very true yes. Now then, I have experience with a number of exercises that that can help you to better understand both yourself and your sword." with a snap of his fingers, Kisuke summoned a desk in front of Kagome, which contained a series of scrolls, paintbrushes and ink "A warrior of any kind must practice a number of different arts in order to ensure that their mind stays both sharp and fluid, and the first art that you will learn is calligraphy. Now write your name." he handed her a paint brush."

"Okay, I think that makes sense." Kagome sat down at the desk, though she looked rather unsure of this "I just don't really understand how writing my name is going to make me into a better swordsman, or swordswoman?"

"When you write your name, you stamp the paper with your identity. You have to learn to use your sword to stamp your identity on the battlefield."

"Alright then." she dipped the brush into the ink and prepared to take a stroke.

"Keep in mind that you can't take back a stroke of your brush, and the same principle applies to a stroke of your sword."

"Right." she sat there thinking for a moment and ended up placing the tip of the brush against her chin.

"You know you're getting ink on your face."

"On my face? Wait that's it!" Kagome suddenly lit up in realization "So you said this is about putting my identity on the page right?"

"That's right."

"In that case…" she got to work with the brush, and after a few moments she promptly held the page up to Kisuke, revealing a beautiful portrait of her "So what do you think?"

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but you technically did do as instructed, and as your father I have to say beautifully done." this caused her to light up even further "Don't get too excited yet though, I did warn you before that this wasn't going to be easy."

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At the same time, Sesshomaru was explaining to Jaken to details behind the Tenseiga, and his distaste for the fact that it was useless in the art of killing. It was during this that the two of them were attacked by a dragon demon, which Sesshomaru promptly defeated, and then took its right arm.

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Meanwhile, with the father and daughter, aka master and student…

Days passed within the meeting of the minds, and Kagome's training continued.

"Okay we've had about a week's worth of training in here, though in reality only about an hour has passed, but in any case it's time to measure your progress up to this point" Kisuke stood in front of Kagome and handed her a sword, then dropped into a stance, both hands gripping the hilt of his sword "Before we go into this, I do want to give you one pointer. I've been watching you from this plane and noticed that each time you've handled a sword up until now, you've struggled with handling the sword after taking a single stroke of the blade."

"Yeah I have, I just don't get it." Kagome looked down at the sword in her hand "I just don't get how Tatsu and Inuyasha, even Sango to a lesser extent, manage this so easily. It's all I can do to keep myself from tripping over my own feet, it's just not working for me."

"I've been watching you each time you use it, and the problem is that you can't manage a second blow with your sword after the first, and the reason is that whenever you grip the sword and guide its stroke, all of your wight is in your knees. Something like that throws off your balance, and that's essential when handling a sword."

"But then how do Tatsu and the others manage?"

"Well in case of Tatsu and your dog friend, they usually do their fair share of leaping and pouncing forward when they fight, so they don't really have that limitation working against them very often, but when they do they usually do their fare share of footwork to correct the problem."

"Footwork?"

"Let me put it this way, this always helps. Try and keep your toes pointed in the same direction as your sword, then take a half step forward with your dominant foot in order to shift your weight. Go ahead and try it, see for yourself what I mean."

"Okay then." so with both hands on the hilt, Kagome slashed with her sword, then took a half step forward with her right foot and took a a second stroke, and her eyes lit up once she was finished with this "I can't believe it, I totally did it!"

"You picked up on that pretty quickly too, even faster than I did. When I first learned that from my sensei it took me at least an hour to catch that. But the point I'm trying to make is that if you want to take continuous strokes of a sword, you have to use continuous footwork as well, be sure to take multiple steps as you go. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good." the two of them dropped into identical stances "Okay, now come at me."

"Right!" so Kagome charged at him and took a stroke of her sword, only for Kisuke to dodge the blade with ease, so then she took a step in his direction and aimed a second stroke, only for her sword to end up being knocked out of her hand about as fast as she could blink "I… I imagined that going differently."

"Never assume anything in life is going to be easy, assumptions lead to complacency and that can easily lead to your downfall, or a hardcore pimpslap from reality."

"Pretty colorful way of saying it."

"I like to add in little things like that to keep things more interesting. But in any case, practice still makes perfect like with anything in life."

"Which means that the more I spar with you, the better I get."

"So long as you learn from each time you fail."

"But that's the good thing about failure, it gives you a chance to learn from your mistakes so you don't make them again in the future. Come at me again."

"Right!" so Kagome picked up her sword and charged at Kisuke, her sword clashing against his own, trying to push back against his blade.

"You're looking at your weapon, you should be looking at your opponent, or else they can catch you when your guard is down." he promptly swept her legs out from under her with a single kick, sending her crashing to the nonexistent ground "Again."

"Right!" Kagome gripped her sword with both hands and guided her stroke, their blades once again clashing against each other, and once they broke away she rushed towards him and thrusted her blade forward.

"Nope." Kisuke leapt over her head and hit her in the back with the hilt of his blade, causing her to hunch over in pain "Better but you have to keep every side guarded at all times. Again, and this time be prepared to focus on defense."

"Right!" so Kagome picked herself up and quickly found herself being forced to defend against each strike from Kisuke's blade, though her mind and heart began racing as she did so 'What's this sensation I'm feeling in my chest? It's unlike anything I've ever felt before, but I like it. It feels like it's rushing and tense, but at the same time it's calming and comforting. Is this the sort of feeling that Tatsu always gets… Is this the thrill of enjoying a fight? No it's not that, because I know I hate fighting, I always have and I probably always will. This isn't that, this is something else… I think I know what this is… It must be the thrill of getting stronger, knowing that you have someone you want to protect, and having the strength and resolve to achieve that goal! I'm gonna keep pushing myself, not just for your sake Tatsu, or for the sake of the others, but for my sake too. I'm going to keep improving and getting stronger not just because I think need to, but now because I genuinely want to.' she couldn't help but smile at the though, even as she was hit with a blow to the stomach that caused her to hunch over in pain 'Just you wait and see Tatsu, next time we go into battle, I'm going to stand by your side, as an equal, so I can protect you just like how you've always protected me!'

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Morning came, and the sun was shining over the skies above.

"Well alright then, that should be the last of it." with all of his stuff packed up, Totosai promptly hopped onto the back of his three-eyed demon bull "Well then I suppose it's about time for me to bid you farewell."

"Are you sure it's okay for you to head out alone like this?" asked Tatsu "I mean Sesshomaru came for you once already, what's to stop him from doing it again."

"Well it's not like Inuyasha can be much protection for me against the likes of Sesshomaru."

"Regardless this is still a bad idea."

"Perhaps, but I've lived long enough to pick up a few tricks

"Forget about it, just let the old man go." Inuyasha let out a snort "As far as I'm concerned the old geezer would just slow us down anyway."

"Then give back my sword, the Tessaiga is useless in the hands of someone like you, and to put it simply the sword would be better off as scrap metal." he reached for the Tessaiga, and then was promptly met with a series of comical bumps to the head.

"I thought I told you before to keep your hands the hell off my sword."

"...Fine by me, but don't say I didn't warn you!" and so he promptly took off.

"Good riddance I say."

"He's certainly not afraid to speak his mind." Miroku noted.

"That's one way of putting it."

"Either Totosai is extremely brave or extremely senile." Sango noted.

"I'm thinking it's senile."

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'Part of me does feel sorry for the brat…' Totosai let out a sigh as he continued travelling along the dirt road on the back of his bull 'Even with his companions by his side, that poor little runt of a dog demon is going to get himself killed by Sesshomaru. He hasn't even been able to see the Wind Scar, the key to awakening the true power of the Tessaiga.'

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A little bit of time passed, and the group was continuing on their way.

"I don't know, it seems kind of wrong." Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha "Are you sure you're okay with just letting him go like that? I mean he is the man that forged the Tessaiga to begin with, so it just doesn't seem right to me."

"Yeah well I say that old fart is full of it." Inuyasha let out a scoff "I say let the old man go and do whatever the hell he wants."

"Well it seems like he's got a different plan, he's coming back now." Tatsu gestured back to where they could see Totosai and his bull rushing back towards them, only for a white light to crash to the ground behind them and send them flying "And from the looks of it, so is Sesshomaru."

"Great, now that bastard is back for another round."

Sure enough, the dust settled to reveal Sesshomaru glaring down at Totosai and the bull "Stay where you are, move and I won't hesitate to tear both of you to shreds."

"Yep, it's him alright."

"Was there ever any doubt?!" Totosai didn't waste a second in hiding behind Inuyasha "Did you hear that one, I think we're in big trouble now."

"Tell me something old man, you don't have any intention of making a new sword for Sesshomaru do you?"

"No I do not."

"Good enough for me. You hear that one bastard? I've had enough listening to you whining about the Tessaiga, and now I'm itching to use it to fight, so let's settle this once and for all." he then drew the Tessaiga and dropped into a stance."

"For once little brother, we actually agree on something." Sesshomaru promptly charged forward and thrusted forward the dragon's claw he had attached to his left arm, the force of his blow easily pushing back the Tessaiga "Have no fear, for all of it is going to end today. You will never have the power to beat me as you are right now, not without the power of the Wind Scar. Especially if this is all of the power that you can muster without it." he then slashed Inuaysha across the left side of his face using his poison claws, sending him skidding back a short distance.

"Looks to me like you got your hands on another ugly arm for me to chop off."

"You're more than welcome to try it if you can. This replacement arm coming from a dragon's claw will act as a shield against the power of the Tessaiga."

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Meanwhile, on the sidelines…

"A demon claw strong enough to power through the Tessaiga?" Tatsu raised an eyebrow when he heard this, and then he promptly glanced over at Sango "So be real with me for a minute, how bad is this going to turn out to be?"

"If he's using a dragon claw, then this could turn out very bad." Sango muttered "Based on what I've experienced, a dragon's claw will have a great deal more power than that of your average demon."

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Meanwhile, back with the battle…

"A dragon's claw or whatever, it doesn't matter to me." Inuyasha let out a scoff "It doesn't look like it's gonna do any better than that last arm, and I've already taken a good chunk out of this one with my sword."

"The Tessaiga… it truly is something special." Sesshomaru gave a small smirk "Despite the fact that it is not being wielded by its true owner, the power it holds is still formidable. However, even despite that the sword refuses to reveal the Wind Scar to the one that it has received to act as its so called master. The time has come Tessaiga, you must cut through the emptiness and reveal your true power."

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Meanwhile, on the sidelines…

"So that's it." Totosai was left awestruck by what he was hearing "Of course, Sesshomaru must have the ability to see the Wind Scar!"

"What's the deal with this Wind Scar, isn't it just the name of a technique?" asked Tatsu "I mean I know he used it at least a few times when I fought him, but…"

"To put it in simple terms, the Wind Scar is the secret to awakening the true power that lies within the Tessaiga. To be able to slay 100 demons with one stroke of a sword would be virtually impossible unless you're able to see the Wind Scar, and Sesshomaru must be able to see it."

"Well on one hand that makes sense, like I said he used it more than once when I fought him. On the other hand, if Sesshomaru can see it then what good reason is there that Inuyasha shouldn't be able to see it too."

"In theory you are correct, but this is something that Inuyasha must discover it within himself, and if he does not discover it in time, then he will surely die."

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Meanwhile, back with the battle…

'Dammit this is totally ridiculous!' Inuyasha was sent skidding backwards a fair distance by another sweep of Sesshomaru's dragon's claw, his mind racing 'All he's using against me is the brute strength of that claw, but he keeps pushing me back!'

"I told you before Inuyasha, this is going to end today." Sesshomaru dealt him another series of attacks from the dragon's claw that sent Inuyasha hurtling across the clearing they were in, which caused the sword to start humming from the vibrations.

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Meanwhile, on the sidelines…

"Something doesn't seem right about this." Tatsu frowned in thought "From what I can tell, it seems like Sesshomaru is only taking a few pot shots at Inuyasha here and there, but the rest of the time he's actually attacking the Tessaiga itself."

"This is absolutely apalling." Totosai muttered "Thanks to that dragon's claw he keeps hacking away at the sword, he's sending a number of waves of power throughout the blade. Even the likes of the great Tessaiga will break under this pressure!"

"It's like you said before, the sword is singing a sad song."

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Meanwhile, back with the main battle…

'So that's it then…' having heard the discussion on the sidelines, Inuyasha was able to figure out what was going on as he continued going on the defensive 'Sesshomaru isn't fighting with me, at least not with me directly. He's fighting with the Tessaiga!' it was at this moment that another sweep of the dragon's claw sent him hurtling to the ground once again.

"Inuyasha hold on!" Sango prepared to charge in towards Sesshomaru with her Hiraikotsu armed and ready.

"Stay back, don't get involved in this! I'm gonna kill Sesshomaru with the Tessaiga, and I'll do it on my own!" Inuyasha pulled himself back to his feet and tightened his grip on the Tessaiga 'He's hitting the Tessaiga over and over again to try and break the blade, but if he thinks I'm just gonna stand around and do nothing while that's happening.'

"But…"

"Calm yourself Sango, it's alright." Miroku was quick to assure her "We have to keep in mind the fact that Inuyasha has tapped into the full power of the Tessaiga before. I know it was only once, but that one time was proof enough that he is capable of doing it again."

'Well if he's going to then he has to do it soon, at this rate it's not going to end well.'

"I know what you're thinking, and you don't have to worry. He can and will do it, I have faith in him, all of us do."

"...You're right." so with a deep breath, Sango strapped Hiraikotsu onto her back and took a few steps back to rejoin the others.

Now going back to the real battle, Sesshomaru finally spoke again "Tell me Tessaiga, why is it that you refuse to roar? Then you will be able to die along with the weakling that is your master."

"One of us is gonna die, but it sure as hell isn't gonna be me!" Inuyasha charged at him again and brought down the Tessaiga.

Sesshomaru stopped the Tessaiga using his dragon's claw and used his right arm to launch another attack, only for Inuyasha to take the blow to his forehead instead "You… You're actually trying to protect the Tessaiga aren't you?"

"Why the hell would I want to let you break my sword before I learn how to use this true power that everyone keeps talking about?"

"So be it then, you will die first, and then the sword." he unleashed a wave of poison from his claws, causing Inuyasha to cry out in pain as he was sent flying.

"Dammit…" Inuyasha slowly pulled himself back to his feet and rubbed his eyes, though he was quick to discover a problem 'You've gotta be fucking kidding me, now I can't see!' his head snapped up at the sound of Sesshomaru closing in on him, but then he went on to take notice of something else entirely as he was once again forced on the defensive 'I can sense it… that must be it, the vortex of his power… I can smell the wind scraping… It's working against the fissure where his power is flowing through! Maybe what I need to do is slice through the fissure, and then that will release the power! I see it, there it is!' planting his feet and gritting his teeth, he took a stroke of the sword through the fissure, resulting in a powerful blast of energy that struck Sesshomaru square in the chest.

Sesshomaru could only cry out in agony as he was hit by the blast, though this cry also resulted in a pulsing sensation coming from the Tenseiga as a black energy engulfed him, before he suddenly vanished with a massive white light.

Everything settled down a few minutes after the blast subsided, and once they did Inuyasha let himself fall to his knees "Is that it… Is it over?"

"Yeah it's over, he's gone." Tatsu and the others promptly helped him to his feet "Looks like you did it, nice work."

"I'd be more thrilled about it if I could see anything."

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About an hour passed, and the group had settled down by a nearby river to rest and recover from the encounter.

"Hang on a second, I should have the poison cleared out of your eyes within the next few minutes or so." Kagome had taken it upon herself to use her Healing Hand to restore Inuyasha's sight.

"So that was it then…" Inuyasha frowned in thought over the recent events "That was the Wind Scar that I've been hearing so much about."

"Yeah that was definitely it, me and the others saw it back when Tatsu and Sesshomaru fought, so I know what it looks like."

"Works for me, now I know how to tap into the Wind Scar." once his sight was restored, Inuyasha gave a smirk and bolted to his feet "Now nobody can stop me."

'Should I?' Tatsu glanced down at the sword in his hand, then at Inuyasha boasting like a jackass, and then he let out a sigh 'Nah, let him have his moment for today. So getting back to the point, did that really finish off Sesshomaru just like that?"

"That is most likely the case, I don't know how he could've survived." Miroku told him "He did receive a direct blow from the Tessaiga."

"I don't know about that, keep in mind that I took more than a few scratches from the Wind Scar when I fought him, and Sesshomaru is even stronger than I am."

"And I didn't see anything like a direct blow." this was when Totosai got everyone's attention from where he was working on repairing the Tessaiga "All he did was swing his sword around in such a wild fashion because his eyes were blinded by Sesshomaru's poison."

"What the fuck are you trying to say old man?" Inuyasha promptly rounded on Totosai.

"Listen to me Inuyasha, because I'm only going to say this once. You did succeed in discovering the Wind Scar, I will give you that much at least, but all it means is that you now know the same thing that your brother already knew. You're still not an equal to him, and now he's even more of a formidable enemy to you than he was before."

"So you're saying that he's still alive then?" asked Tatsu, which attracted a series of shocked looks from the others.

"So you noticed as well, and you're right about it, Sesshomaru is indeed still alive, and even though he despises the Tenseiga, that sword was what saved his life."

"So the sword protected him from the Wind Scar. Does that mean the Tenseiga has a barrier going for it, like how the Tessaiga's scabbard does?"

"Let me put it this way. Tell me Inuyasha, when you used the Wind Scar against Sesshomaru, you didn't feel it strike him did you?"

"Well to be honest, I think it's pretty hard to say." Inuyasha gave a shrug "I mean I was blinded by his poison, and then it felt like his body had disintegrated in the blast from the Tessaiga. I didn't really pulverize him or anything like that. It just felt like he sort of disappeared and evaporated and the like."

"The Tenseiga had protected Sesshomaru against the power of the Wind Scar you unleashed against him, and it acted on its own accord."

"So it has a will of its own." Tatsu muttered "And here he called his sword useless, he hated the fact that his father left it to him instead of the one that can actually kill."

"Tenseiga is a sword meant to protect and restore life, and when Sesshomaru's life was actually endangered, the Tenseiga served its purpose and protected him despite the darkness he holds in his heart."

"Which at the same time, makes him all the more dangerous."

"So how do you defeat a fool like that? I have no idea, it's beyond me. I don't use the weapons, I just forge them." with a sigh, Totosai handed the Tessaiga back to Inuyasha, and then he mounted the back of his demon bull "Well I've sharpened the sword to perfection, now all you have to do is train yourself to defeat Sesshomaru and his Tenseiga, just like how he was trying to defeat the Tessaiga. Come on Momo." and with a simple wave, he went on his way, his thoughts drifting as he did so 'So before he died, the Great Dog Demon himself Lord Toga gave a sword to each of his sons. He gave the Tessaiga to Inuyasha, and he gave the Tenseiga to Sesshomaru. That cunning old hound must have wanted to make it so that it would be futile for the two brothers to fight against each other. Well I guess they're going to end up learning eventually. I hope.'

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After beind hit by Inuyasha's Wind Scar, Sesshomaru lay wounded in a forest not far away from the scene, and a young human girl by the name of Rin seemed to care for his well being, and despite the rebuke and defensive stance on his part, she gave him food and water. He told her to mind her own business and that he didn't eat human food, but despite this, she continued to bring him food the following day. She was later beaten by a number of villagers because she took some fish from the reserve. She then limped off without saying a word, and it was then revealed by the men that she was a mute. Her entire family had been slaughtered by a pack of bandits, and she hadn't spoken since then.

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Nightfall came, and for a certain father daughter duo, training in the ways of the sword had once again resumed in the meeting of the minds.

Kisuke led Kagome (who was wearing a blindfold) through a grassy landscape by guiding her by the shoulders "A warrior of any kind needs to hold and understand the lay of the land within their mind, and one of the best ways to teach them that skill is through landscape painting. When you're in battle, you only have an instant to take everything in, and you have to work with that to the best of your ability." he promptly removed her blindfold.

Kagome was left to look on in awe at the sight before her, the sight of a majestic view of a mighty river flowing into a series of waterfalls that dropped into a canyon "It's… It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."

"Yes, I know the feeling." he promptly grabbed her by the shoulders, turned her around and then forced her to sit down on the grassy slope they were on "Now I want you to draw it. And you can't peek or turn around." he handed her a pen and a sketchbook.

"Alright." she accepted them from him and got to work.

'She's truly passionate about this. I guess she finally understands the golden rule of battle, that when a person has something they wish to protect, they tap into something that they never knew existed, whether it be power or resolve.' Kisuke gave a small smile as he watched her work on the drawing, but then his face fell as he gazed out at the majestic landscape before them 'You've grown so much over the years Kagome, you've become even stronger than you realized. The last time I was with you, your mother and your little brother, I remember you so clearly as being this little girl who was kind and gentle to everyone she met, but at the same time she had this shy and insecure side that kept her from going out there and being all she was meant to be. Now here I am, nearly a full decade later and I see you now, I see you as nothing but this strong, confident and beautiful young woman that can do anything you put your mind to. My only regret is that I couldn't be there in person to watch you grow into this amazing person I see before me, or to be there with you, your mother and your brother. But I promise, no matter what happens and no matter what life throws at you, I'm always going to be there for you.'

"I'm finished!" with a bright smile, Kagome bolted upright and showed him the drawing she did of the landscape.

"You added a rainbow, and a sun with a smiley face on it."

"Is… that okay?"

"Okay little tip for the future, as your father. When your teacher gives you a task, don't ask if it's okay. If you're satisfied then that's all there is to it. Got it?"

"Got it."

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Now had come the time to once again test her progress.

"Alright, now before we go into this, let me offer you one piece of advice." Kisuke dropped into a stance with his sword, both hands firmly clasping the hilt "You have to keep in mind that the stroke of your sword is more powerful if you use both hands to guide your stroke, rather than just a single hand."

"Then what about Tatsu? He uses two swords, one in each hand." Kagome pointed out as she dropped into her own stance, taking his advice and gripping her sword with both hands.

"Those who use two swords are special cases, what they lack in quality of their strokes they make up for in quantity, to a certain extent that is. But in any case, you'd be very surprised at how much of a difference it can make when you use two hands instead of just one."

"I take it that's your cue to come at me?"

"Yep."

"Got it." so with both hands on her sword, Kagome took a few steps forward before she was forced on the defensive by Kisuke's series of strikes, all of which she was able to parry and block without too much difficulty, but when she prepared to launch a counterattack…

"Kagome."

"Yeah?" that one distraction proved to be enough to distract her long enough for her legs to be swept out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud "Again with the legs."

"You have to remember to concentrate on what you're doing, be sure to tune out any and all distractions."

Kagome simply let out a groan and laid her head back on the ground as she gave a thumbs up in his direction.

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After a little bit of time to rest, training resumed.

Kisuke led Kagome to an area within the void to a large clearing surrounded by many trees "In any battle, a warrior has to manipulate their surroundings and use them to his advantage. Skills like these can be caught in exercises such as rock gardening. Go ahead and give it a try."

"Manipulate my surroundings to my advantage…" Kagome frowned in thought and sat down on a large rock nearby as she did so, until her eyes lit up "That's it!" she scanned the area for a moment until she caught sight of a slightly smaller rock across the clearing, to which she promptly rushed over, grabbed it and rolled it through the clearing until it was right in front of the first rock. To that end, she sat back down on the first rock and put her feet up on the second, using the first like a chair and the second like an ottoman "You mean like this?"

"Well that's…" Kisuke let out a chuckle "That's one way to do it. My original thought was mainly something along the lines of using the surrounding trees to start a fire, but this works too."

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A little bit more time passed, and another test was about to get underway.

"I have no further tips for you, this time you'll have to figure it out for yourself." Kisuke dropped into a stance with both hands gripping his sword "Are you ready?"

"I spent a full 2 months training with you yesterday, and then another 2 months training with you tonight." Kagome dropped into her own stance, both hands gripping her sword "I'm ready, now let's do this."

"Okay then. Hajime!" and then the test started, with both of them thrusting their blades forward and parrying a few strikes, trading even blows for a short while, until Kisuke tried to sweep her legs out from under her, switching to holding his sword with one hand in the process.

Anticipating this move on his part, Kagome retreated back a few steps, though she quickly took note of a certain something that caught her eye 'He's only holding his sword with one hand!' and so she seized this chance, in which she spun around on her heel, and with both hands gripping her sword, she guided a stroke that knocked Kisuke's sword out of his hand, and then she pointed her sword at his face "When you went to sweep the leg you were only holding your sword with one hand, if your attacks are weaker with only one hand then the defense should be too right?"

"Taking in all of that in an instant…" Kisuke gave a small smile filled with pride as he stepped back and bowed to her, signalling the end of the spar.

"So that's it?" Kagome stepped back, sheathed her sword and returned the bow, then promptly got down on her knees in front of him.

"You've made remarkable progress in the time we've been training together."

"It took me 4 months before I was able to beat you in a spar."

"It took me 6 months before I was able to beat my sensei."

"I'm pretty sure I messed up most of the stuff that you had me do."

"I never said anything about you messing up, if you had then I would've told you. As far as I'm concerned, all you did was add your own unique twists to each task. I think you're ready to take this into battle."

"For real?"

"Very for real." the two of them promptly stood back up "Kagome, when you first appeared to me and said you wanted to train with me, you were so unsure about all of it. You even came off as feeling down on yourself, unsure of what you could do. But I could see something within you with a single glance, and it wasn't just because you're my daughter. I saw a heart as strong as a lion, and one that's twice as big. As we spent this time training, it wasn't your skills that impressed me. It was so much more than that, something you showed me that goes far beyond that. Creativity, versatility, intelligence, compassion, conviction. These are the traits that are used to define a great swordsman, and these are the traits that define you. You told me when we started that you didn't know if you were worthy. However, I believe with every fiber of my being that you are more worthy than any pupil I have ever trained."

"Dad, I…" Kagome started tearing up as he said this, and she was promptly pulled into a gentle and loving hug by Kisuke.

"As much as I would love to stay with you Kagome, I'm afraid that my time here with you was limited to begin with, and now it's at an end. You're going to have to continue your training without me. But you don't have to worry, because as long as you stay on the path you're on right now, I know that the day will come when you become an even greater master of the sword than I was. And know that whatever happens, I will always be watching over you and the rest of my family. I love you my daughter." and with that, he disappeared in a white light.

"I love you too dad… and I promise, I won't let you down." Kagome wiped the tears away, and it was then that the void surrounding

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Morning came, and the sun was just beginning to rise.

Despite the beatings she had received from the night before, Rin returned to Sesshomaru with the fish she took from the river. He retained his cool and distant demeanor and emphasized that he did not need anything from her. However, he did ask about the bruises that she had. Rin didn't speak a single word, but she rejoiced at the slightest bit of interest and gave him a bright smile.

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Meanwhile, with the Inu Gang…

As the sun was still rising over the skies above, Tatsu was in the forest not far from where the group had been camping out for the night, doing a series of exercises, when he heard a rustling nearby and glanced over to see Kagome making her way onto the scene "Oh hey, you're up pretty early. Most of the others are still asleep."

"Most of them?" Kagome raised an eyebrow, and was met with Tatsu jerking a thumb towards a nearby tree where Inuyasha was glancing over the Tessaiga and brooding to himself "Okay that makes sense."

"Yeah, some things never change. So what are you doing up so early?"

"Well I just… let's just say I got done what I needed to get done, and I had something I wanted to try out. And I kind of needed a quick favor in order to make that work."

"Sure, what's up?"

"I know this is going to sound weird but… could I borrow one of your swords for a minute? Like I said, I just want to try something."

"Yeah okay sure, go ahead I guess." still rather thrown off, Tatsu slowly handed her one of his swords, while he placed the other one back in its sheath on his back.

"Thanks." so as she strapped the sword to her side, Kagome drew the blade from its sheath, placed a firm grip on the hilt of the sword, and then she started going through a series of slashes with the blade, her feet constantly maneuvering with each step she took, and then when the time came for her to make her final stroke, which she had decided to aim at a large boulder nearby, she guided her stroke and unleashed a wave of pink and purple spiritual energy from the blade, which was able to rip through boulder, as well as a number of trees behind it, with ease. Once that was done, she gave a bright smile full of determination "Looks like I was right, I can channel my spiritual power through the sword just like I do with me arrows." she then resheathed her sword and glanced over to see Tatsu and Inuyasha staring at her with wide eyes "I'm guessing you guys want an explanation for that?"

"That would be nice."

"Okay, I know this is gonna weird, but what would you say if I woke up one night and found myself in this crazy void where I met the spirit of a dead person who offered to teach me what they knew, and in that void I was able to do a week's worth of training in the span of an hour?"

"I'd say, welcome to the club." now that got her attention.

"You mean it's happened to you too?"

"It's been happening to me since before we met Shippo, guess who pops up before me."

"Your dad?"

"Nope, the guy who created the Fangs I wear around my neck, Ryuhogo himself. He's been training me in learning how to use these powers effectively. Get this, apparently back when he was still alive, he and Midoriko were lovers. He was present at the battle where she forced out her soul and created the Shikon Jewel, and apparently he created the Fangs in order to try and counter the bloodshed being created by the presence of the jewel."

"That sounds incredible!" and so the two of them started bonding even further over their similar experiences and training within the void, not noticing Inuyasha silently take his leave of the scene.

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Meanwhile, with Rin…

At the same time, Rin was making her way back to the hut she lived in, when she found a certain unexpected visitor already there "Huh?"

"Hm?" as it turns out, the visitor was clearly a demon, if the pointed ears the eyes were anything to go by, and it was only when she was in the doorway that he noticed her "What do you want girl, does this old hut belong to you?"

Rin shied away from him slightly and gave a simple nod.

"Don't expect me to be here for long, I have to get out of here before they find out where I am and catch up with me."

Rin gave another nod, which was followed by lots of yelling and screaming in terror coming from the rest of the villagers as a pack of wolves pounced onto the scene and started devouring people left and right.

"Dammit they found me, I don't know how but they found me!" the demon didn't hesitate in shoving his way past Rin and making his way through the river in an attempt to get away, which failed miserably as the wolves followed him into the river, pounced on him and promptly dragged him out of the water "Get off of me you filthy mutts!"

"I had to search high and low to track you down, and the fact that I ended up finding you here of all places…" a voice snarled as a figure made his way onto the scene, with piercing blue eyes, long black hair tied back in a ponytail, with armor covering his torsi and a long furry tail attached to the back of the fur hanging around his waist "That just makes my blood boil."

"Koga please, I-" the demon was cut off by the figure, now known by the name Koga, stomping down on his head in his anger.

"You know stealing that shard of the jewel is one thing, that I might have been willing to overlook as long as you gave it back. Running away like a coward just pissed me off. But the fact that you chose this village out of every possible one you could've hidden in like a cornered rat. You chose this one, when you know who these people are and what they did! This one!"

"Koga please I'm sorry, I know I was in the wrong, just don't kill me!" he took out a Shikon jewel shard and placed it in Koga's hand "There, now do you see? I'm not fighting or trying to run away or anything, just please spare me."

"...You know, even after all of this, she probably would've let you go."

"You mean…" his eyes lit up, and he breathed a sigh of relief "Oh thank you so much for your mercy-"

"You didn't let me finish. She would've shown you mercy. I'm not her." and with a simple wave of his hand, Koga's claws ripped through the demon, ending his life before he even had time to scream. Once the deed was done, he wiped the blood from his hand and turned to the pack of wolves behind him "Alright then, I got what I needed from this one. I'm gonna go on ahead. As for you guys, I'm gonna go ahead and guess you wanna eat right?" he was met with a series of simultaneous growls "Yeah that's what I thought. Go ahead and eat whatever you like, but let me lay down some ground rules. If you come across any of the younger ones then let them go, but the older ones… Make it nice and slow." and then he promptly went on his way.

From her place on the sidelines, Rin could only watch in horror as almost all of the villagers were devoured by Koga's wolves, with the exception of the younger ones.

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Meanwhile, with the Inu Gang…

The sun was shining brightly over the skies above, and the hunt for the jewel shards has once again resumed.

'So this is how it feels to have a sword by your side…' Kagome looked at the sword she now had strapped to her back 'It feels… kind of comforting actually. Tatsu wanted me to have this sword after he saw what I could do with it. Dad said that when you wield a sword, it's supposed to be like an extension of yourself. Now that I have Tatsu's sword by my side, not only does it feel like it's an extension of myself, but it's like I have part of him with me, guiding my stroke. It feels… really good to say the least.' her thoughts were suddenly cut short and she ground to a halt.

Sango was the first one to take notice of this "Is something the matter Kagome? You seem a lot more quiet than usual today."

"It's really faint, but I think I sense a shard of the jewel not far from here."

"Are you sure about this? Can you tell what direction it's in?" asked Inuyasha.

"Yeah, it's that way. We should hurry, I have a bad feeling about this."

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Unfortunately, it turns out that Koga's wolves, while loyal to him, weren't as good at following his orders as he would've liked to believe. Through all of the chaos of the villagers being mauled to death, Rin fled from the village and into the surrounding forest in a desperate bid to try and get to where Sesshomaru was, but she tripped on a vine and was left helpless as the wolves pounced on her…

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Meanwhile, with a certain imp…

"Lord Sesshomaru!" at the same time, Jaken was riding on the back of Sesshomaru's two-headed dragon demon in search of him, following the events of the previous battle "Lord Sesshomaru, my lord where are you? Please answer me, show me where you are! It couldn't be, there's no possible way that Lord Sesshomaru had been cut down by Inuyasha when he went into battle against him with that dragon's claw? Cut down… Speaking of being cut down, why should I care if he was cut down by his wretched half brother or not? He used me as a guinea pig in that experiment with his sword and hit me with the Tenseiga to see if he could cut me down with it or not! He said that he was testing his sword, but I'm sure that he was just teasing me. He would never have struck me if there was any doubt that I would have been revived afterwards.' to this end, he did the only thing he could in order to confirm or deny his suspicions: do that weird yes or no game with the flower petals, picking them off one by one until he only had one left "He was testing, he was teasing, he was testing, he was teasing, he was testing, he was teasing, he was testing… You mean he was testing?! Lord Sesshomaru, would you have actually risked my life in order to test the power of your sword? You ungrateful dog!" he was promptly hit in the head from behind by a rock, courtesy of Sesshomaru as he made his way onto the scene "Lord Sesshomaru! Before I continue in your service, were you actually testing your sword on me?"

"I was expecting a relieved welcome from you upon my return Jaken, not an interrogation." was the flat reply that Sesshomaru gave.

"Oh right, well I'm glad you're well my lord. I thought you might be dead." he was promptly hit with another rock.

"I also expected you to have more faith in my abilities." Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, or rather he would've if it was anyone else, but then something else caught his attention 'This stench, it reeks of blood and the smell of wolves… I recognize this blood."

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Now to go to the source of that blood…

It didn't take long for Sesshomaru and Jaken to find the source of the blood, which just so happened to be the body of Rin sprawled out on the forest pathway 'This girl…'

"What in the world is that?" Jaken made her way closer to Rin's body "The kid's a goner, that much is for sure. She must have been attacked by a pack of wolves, just take a look at these teeth markings. Do you recognize this pathetic human girl?"

'This girl… she smiled at me…' Sesshomaru took a few steps forward and promptly drew the Tenseiga from its sheath.

"May I ask what you're doing my lord?"

"Be silent Jaken, and stand back." Sesshomaru stepped forward as he noticed a series of small demonic creatures appearing near Rin's body 'I can see them, these creatures are the minions of the Netherworld. It would seem that I have to do another test and use the Tenseiga."

"You said another test? I don't understand sire, what is it that you're doing?"

Sesshomaru didn't answer, he simply cut down the creatures he sawn and propped up Rin's body with his only remaining arm, his expression one of shock as he watched her slowly regain consciousness.

"She… She came back to life, but I was sure that she was dead! Lord Sesshomaru, forgive me but I don't understand! You brought this girl back to life using the power of the Tenseiga?"

Sesshomaru gave no response, he simply started walking away.

"Hello, Lord Sesshomaru are you listening? I don't understand, Lord Sesshomaru going out of his way to save a human girl was strange enough. But then again, what's even more important I'm sure that before he did he said something about how he was going to use the powers of the Tenseiga to conduct another test? But if that was the case, then that would mean that I was cut down by him with no guarantee of my survival!' and so he started comically sobbing "And to think I've devoted my entire being to you for all these years! Lord Sesshomaru this is so unfair, why did you do it? I can't understand what reason you would have to do such a thing!" it was only then that he noticed Sesshomaru so far ahead, with the human girl trailing beihnd him "Wait for me, I'm coming Lord Sesshomaru, don't leave me behind!"

Sesshomaru continued onwards through the forest, with Rin and Jaken following behind him, his mind drifting with every step he took 'To think Tenseiga, you compelled me to save the life of a human today. Perhaps there is more to this than I had first believed…'

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Meanwhile, with the Inu Gang…

The scene of the village, or what was left of it after Koga's wolves were done with it, was not a pleasant sight.

Miroku and the rest of the group were quick to discover that when they arrived on the scene and found the mauled and mangled bodies of the villagers littering the area "This was a massacre, how horrible."

"No survivors from the looks of it, and it reeks of the stench of blood." Inuyasha muttered.

"And take a look at these." Sango knelt down on the ground and observed a number of tracks that covered the area "I think this was done by a pack of wolves, they left the tracks everywhere."

"I can smell them mixed in with the blood, and from what I can tell there were a lot of them here too."

"You think it's got anything to do with the jewel shard Kagome was sensing?" asked Tatsu.

"That would be my guess, a slaughter like this one has demon written all over it." it was at this moment that they noticed a number of wolves closing in on them.

"Look out everybody!" that proved to be enough to make Shippo jump into Kagome's arms in terror "The wolves are surrounding us!"

"Looks to me like a few many beasts here need to be taught a lesson. These are strays, so from what I can tell their leader isn't even here and they're useless in battle unless they come as part of an actual pack. Case and point. Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" with his claws barred, Inuyasha then charged forward and started cutting down the wolves as they pounced on him, ripping through a large number of them with ease. It was after he cut through about a dozen of them that the rest of them started howling in unison, the sound echoing throughout the surrounding area.

"They're howling, that sounds bad, is howling bad?"

"Sounds to me like they're trying to call in the backup."

"This is bad." Kagome's head suddenly snapped up as she shifted Shippo into one arm and then gripped the hilt of her sword with her free hand "I can sense it, there's a jewel shard heading our way and it's coming at us really fast."

Sure enough, a large cyclone sped onto the scene from which Koga burst forth, and he screeched to a halt in front of the group, his eyes blazing as he scanned the area, or to be more specific the bodies of his wolves scattered across the ground "So who the hell are you supposed to be? And more importantly, what good reason could any of you have for slaughtering my wolves?"

'This is bad, this guy has three shards on him, he has one on his right arm and one on each of his legs too!'

A/N:

Now this chapter was one of the more important ones in the story, at least in terms of growth that is, for the sake of three main characters. First, Inuyasha finally learns how to use the Wind Scar, after we saw it in action for the first time in the epic battle between Tatsu and Sesshomaru, not only do we we also see a certain wolf demon make his first appearance, but this is a major step in Sesshomaru's character arc, which is one of the best parts of the entire series. All the while, there's one main theme connecting all of the events in this chapter and the next, and that is Inuyasha's discovery of the Wind Scar.

So yes, Koga makes his first appearance in this chapter, as in his wolves are the ones who slaughter Rin's village, as well as Rin herself (though he doesn't know about this right now). I was a huge fan of Koga when I was a teenager, and I still think he's awesome, but I will acknowledge that he doesn't really have that much character development compared to the main characters, which is something that I'm trying to fix. Plus I'm gonna make him more useful than in canon, because to be honest, I feel like they did him dirty, so I'm gonna try and do him some justice. You'll see more of this in the next chapter.

One other noteworthy event from this chapter is that Kagome is finally starting her own training and learning how to fight with a sword, courtesy of her father. I always wanted to give Kagome more variety in her abilities, and I've tried to find a number of different fics in that regard, some of which actually gave me the inspiration to give her healing abilities. As for the sword training however, that's a little bit more complicated. A lot of those fics I've come across usually involved her being trained in using a sword by Sesshomaru, which is a cool concept, but then they go in directions like having her be a half demon or a full demon, and some of them even have her getting Tenseiga. As interesting as these concepts are, they don't really do it for me. When I decided to have Kagome learn how to fight with a sword, I also decided that I was going to have it be straightforward in its approach. No making her into a demon, no giving her a magic sword like Tenseiga, just having her learn swordsmanship and use it in battle, sacred sword style if you will.