The young lord had been pondering heavily on his next plan of action. Just as he suspected, when Sesshōmaru came upon the severed head of a demon named Goshinki it was riddled with his brother's scent. He confirmed it was this demon's fang that had broken the Tessaiga, and without a second thought the Lord of the Western lands, a title he had reluctantly taken, took up the head to take with him.

Rin, his latest human companion, had begun to shrill at the sight of it. She was swaying herself as if her 'screams' were a sort of singing. This was short-lived, however, as Sesshōmaru demanded her to "stop it" immediately. She obliged in an instant, swinging herself around to teeter after him beside Jaken and A-Un, two demons who also followed the deadly inu daiyōkai, Sesshōmaru.

Pointed black boots sludged through a dank swamp. How Sesshōmaru knew exactly where to search for his next target was a strange realization, but no one in his company either dared or cared to inquire about it. Rin, a happy little human girl dressed in little but an orange patterned yukata certainly felt no need to pry on the hows and whys of Sesshōmaru's behavior. She'd found him wounded in the woods, and shortly after he saved her life from a pack of wolves which had viciously mauled her. She was eternally grateful, thought very highly of Sesshōmaru despite his being a demon, and was unflaggingly loyal to him. Jaken, an imp demon who pledged his loyalty to Sesshōmaru after the dog demon 'saved' him from a terrible threat that was terrorizing his village, tended to ask far more questions than necessary which usually ended up in a very condescending line of speech. He caught himself in most cases, humbly asking for forgiveness from his lord and master. A-Un, only recently given this name by Rin, was Sesshōmaru's beast of burden. A demon with two dragon-like heads, a muzzled bridal of sorts on each one's mouth, a saddle on his back, and a long lizard-like tail, A-Un provided those without the gift of flight fast transportation alongside Sesshōmaru and also tended to take particular care of Rin. Perhaps it was because of the compassion she showed him, but it was obvious he favored her over Jaken. Though he could not speak, it was obvious he was intelligent and even had a sense of humor.

All three were quietly trailing behind Lord Sesshōmaru when atmosphere became eerie without warning. Jaken clenched his two-headed staff, Nintōjō, and Rin scooted closer to A-Un as they walked. Sesshōmaru continued at a brisk pace, unaffected, clenching the horn of the severed Goshinki head tightly in his right hand. His aureolin eyes narrowed as a small shack came into view. He paused, looking behind him briefly as his marvelous mōkomōkō appeared to twitch. "Wait here for me."

"But my lord, you want to go in alone?" Jaken exclaimed, thumping his staff against the ground. "What if this demon is strong? N-Not that you're not stronger Lord Sesshōmaru, it's just if he decides to attack we don't know wha-"

A piercing gaze from the dog demon had the frantic imp readjusting himself and snapping his mouth closed. Rin performed a facade salute from behind the imp.

Inside the small shack rested a humanoid demon who had been treating himself to small servings of sake. He was lying on his side, one knee up in the air and one elbow supporting his torso as he lounged in his long-sleeved kosode. The dark shadows of his home blacked out the right side of his face.

The cloth which served as his doorway swooshed open in a violent gust, revealing the tall and domineering form of Sesshōmaru. His ankle-long silver hair gently swayed with the winds he brought with him as his piercing gaze seemed to glare down at the demon. "Kaijinbō, the rogue swordsmith taught by Tōtōsai. Cast away for creating too many evil swords…" came the great dog demon's voice, chillingly low, but soft.

The demon snorted and sat up then. The light shifted, revealing an odd, prominent scar that stretched from his forehead downwards, through his right eye and stopped at his cheek. "Tōtōsai. That name still makes my blood boil."

Sesshōmaru lurched his arm forward to toss the severed demon's head onto the ground before the armorer. "I come to commission you to make a sword for me from this demon's fang." The request was simple enough, he figured. The dog demon's eyes narrowed though as he further examined Kaijinbō. The scar on his face did not become him; since when had swordsmiths willfully engaged in battle? It was of little concern to Sesshōmaru, but it did make him ponder.

Kaijinbō scowled, sneering at the dog demon. He was sure to keep his left side hidden away in the sleeve of his kosode while the other sleeve had been notably ripped off. His right hand held the sakazuki style cup of sake which he then sat down to rest his arm in his lap. He took note of Sesshōmaru's attire; the cherry blossom crests at his collar and ends of his sleeves were a signature of royal birth. Kaijinbō had heard rumors about the Lord of the Western Lands but had never seen him in person. Nonetheless, even if this wasn't Sesshōmaru, he could feel the immense power that radiated from the tall demon's body. He did not want to deny the man's wish to create a powerful, evil sword. However, circumstances hindered his decision, as did a possible opportunity to exact revenge…

"Hm…well, as much as I'd like to accept your offer I can't," the smith said, his large mouth revealing a set of jagged, ugly fangs. "Besides, how is anyone supposed to craft anything from something already dead?"

Sesshōmaru peered at him, a small frown forming on his face, ignoring his latter comment. "You can't, or you won't?"

Kaijinbō shook his head, a distasteful scowl present on his face. "Can't," he replied, holding up his left arm. The long sleeve slid down to reveal his hand had been cut clean off, only a nub remaining.

Sesshōmaru's eyes narrowed again, his silence chilling.

Kaijinbō reached for the shallow cup of sake once more and brought it to his lips, taking a sip. "Ahh... I can't make your sword with only one hand and no power. But I can direct you to someone else who may be able to help you." He decided not to push the subject of Sesshōmaru's deceased material.

Quirking a brow, Sesshōmaru indicated his interest by remaining quiet. The large band of fur which was wrapped around his shoulder, his mōkomōkō, twitched yet again.

The swordsmith felt it safe to continue, gazing up at the towering demon from his place on the floor. "There is another swordsmith Tōtōsai trained, one who could forge the sword you are wanting, possibly even one better." Kaijinbō took a shot at his pride, but it was worth it to sweeten the bait.

Sesshōmaru glowered at the trifling demon, his features becoming dark. "Is this an attempt to waste my time?" he growled. "If you say your missing hand is the problem then just regenerate it."

"Do I look like I want to waste your time?" Kaijinbō jabbed, a corner of his lips hiked up in irritation. "If you are who I think you are, there's no benefit for me to mislead you when I know you'd just be back to kill me later." He raised his residual arm and whisked it around in circles. "My hand isn't coming back, sh–" He stopped himself briefly. "I tried already. It's no use. You're wasting more of your 'precious time' standing there trying to convince me to do the impossible."

Kaijinbō was unrelenting, and Sesshōmaru believed his plight. There was no reason for him to sit about without a hand if he could help it. The curiosity was what could have caused such a thing.

"Where might I find this person who can forge a sword better than you?" He decided to humor the demon. He knew of no other blacksmiths besides Tōtōsai and Kaijinbō, but this did not mean there couldn't be others.

"The mountains," Kaijinbō started, holding back the venom from Sesshōmaru's comment. "Way up in the mountains. I couldn't tell you exactly where as supposedly it isn't supposed to be easy to find, but I know her forge is there. There's a little village resting in a valley at its base, you'll probably have more luck asking the humans there exactly where to go." A grin was beginning to spread across Kaijinbō's face.

Her? Sesshōmaru pondered for a moment before reaching out to regather the severed head. He turned away from the demon without another word and passed under the cloth door once more with Goshinki's head in tow. He hadn't any more time to waste here. It did leave him curious, however; how had Kaijinbō's hand become severed? Was it from the same attacker who scarred his face?

When Kaijinbō was sure Sesshōmaru was gone he leaned back up against the wall behind him, glaring at the cloth which was his door. With an angry scowl he threw the cup of sake roughly, the ceramic shattering against the wall to his right. With clenched teeth he appeared to seeth, his left hand closing into a fist.

That wench… She will pay for what she's done to me. How dare she show up here and mar my face, then sever my right hand so I could never forge another sword again! I cannot exact revenge myself, but he can. I dare her to say no to him-he will have her head in an instant! Hahaha! She will be forced to forge an evil sword on his behalf or risk being killed! It's perfect! It would only be better if he would bring her head to me in the same fashion he brought that demon's.

He raised his right arm, the sleeve sliding down again to reveal a nub where his hand used to be. "She severed my hand in such a way it wouldn't grow back! That bitch deserves to die! Ah-hahahaha!"