InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten ❯ The Sword's Shattered Spirit ( Chapter 43 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Black Wren 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.20.2013 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.0K | Visits: 205 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.20.2013 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.0K | Visits: 205 | Status: Work In Progress
With the Tenseiga in need of repair, the y call upon Eternal, a former enzeru and
now most powerful fire spirit in t he world. She can arrange the recovery& nbsp;of the
sword but the risks are ;high.
148 years before the search for the jewel shards
Chapter&n bsp;32: The Sword’s Shattered Spirit
I never believed a sword shattered beyond physical recovery could be& nbsp;fixed quickly.
I just never realiz ed how long it would take for the s cattered pieces to rebind nor
the danger it would put Aniue in.
-Inuyasha < br>
“What reason has brought&n bsp;you to call me here, Lucifer no waka ?†asked Eternal, the
lady of&nbs p;fire and wind.
Kakiboufuu waited ;for his brother to begin, it was his&nb sp;sword, but the older demon
seemed los t in thought and the hanyou knew it ;would anger the volatile woman if
her&n bsp;question was answered promptly. Sesshomaru&nb sp;was the most worried about this
encou nter and he‟s not even paying&nb sp;attention, though Kakiboufuu as he took a& nbsp;deep
breath before he began.
“Forgive are rudeness in bringi ng you here but Aniue and I are in& nbsp;need of you
assistance,†said&nbs p;Kakiboufuu. He placed his hands on ei ther end of the shattered
sword. & acirc;€œThe spirit blade, Tenseiga, was ;irreversibly damaged by another sword in
battle. We have gathered all the piec es, and though the sword still shows lif e, it
can‟t seem to mend&nb sp;itself without outside help. This is ;beyond the skill anyone of
this world&n bsp;can provide. We were hoping you wou ld know how the blade could be
rest ored.â€
Blue fire danced&nbs p;around her as she regarded the sword a t her feet. Then she knelt,
spread ing her azure wings as she did, and ;touched the broken blade‟s tip. ; Tenseiga
flashed again. Eternalâ&eur o;Ÿs eyes blazed in response, though no& nbsp;anger could be felt
emanating from her.
“This sword should&n bsp;be repaired,†she said after a&nbs p;long silence. “It is not&nbs p;a dead thing
to be discarded.â€& nbsp;
“Eh?†Sessho maru looked between the shattered sword and&n bsp;tengu. “What do you
m ean?â€
“I take ;it you have not meditated on your sword ,†said Eternal in a dry voice.&n bsp; She
looked at Sesshomaru in disappr oval. The inuyokai flinched back from h er piercing
gaze but said nothing. ;She returned her gaze to the sword. &nb sp;“A sword that saves
lives&nb sp;ultimately has life of its own and a& nbsp;will. This sword can choose to ign ore you
or it can choose to serve&n bsp;you. It can even choose to save&nbs p;you even when you don‟t
w ish it. It is careless and even da ngerous to have such a sword and not&nbs p;connect
spirit to spirit, will to will . It may end up following its own& nbsp;directive and do
something you did not intend.â€
Kakiboufuu bit ;off a gasp then bowed his head as he rubbed his eyes, suddenly in
pain.&nb sp;
“Are you all right,&nb sp;Otouto?†asked Sesshomaru, his brother&a circ;€Ÿs face was pale in the
firelight.
“I‟m&n bsp;all right,†Kakiboufuu replied as his hand moved to his forehead. Spots&n bsp;
continued to dance before his eyes, but the vision, if it was one was g one before he
could identify it. &n bsp;“I just sometimes get these ;random headaches. It‟s not a&n bsp;problem,
it‟s already going away.â€
Sesshomaru didnâ€&Y uml;t look convinced but didn‟t press the issue. Eternal‟s blue eyes
narrowed but seemed more concerned than irritated. She continued without saying
anything on the matter despite he r intense interest.
“What ever sword did the damaged seems to have poisoned the metal of the blade,â&euro ;
she said, returning their focus to&nbs p;the subject at matter. “The& nbsp;scattered pieces want
to reconnect but&n bsp;can‟t recognize the others as&nbs p;being part of the same blade. The&nbs p;
sword must be purged of the poison&nbs p;first then the pieces will become one again.â€
“How does& nbsp;one remove the poison from the metal?&ac irc;€ asked Sesshomaru.
â€&o elig;Not by any method any person of thi s world can perform without losing the s word
forever,†replied Eternal. She rose to her full height as she spoke. “You did well to < br> gather all the fragments together, however,&nb sp;if you were to use conventional methods&nb sp;
of purging bits of the metal would&nb sp;be destroyed and the sword would never&nbs p;reform.â€
“What a bout a priestess? Wouldn‟t they be able to purge the poison without&nbs p;
damaging the blade?†asked Kakiboufu u.
“You would think so, but purification does cause some heavily& nbsp;affected parts to be
destroyed instead&n bsp;of cleaned. It is like removing dis eased flesh from a wound, some
sacrifice s are needed to save the whole,â€& nbsp;she replied. “However, in ;this case nothing
would be saved. ;There is one method that can restore Te nseiga but it carries great
risk.â&euro ;
Sesshomaru stared at her for&nbs p;a moment and said, “Whatever the risk, I need to have
Chichiueâ €Ÿs sword restored. It must be.&ac irc;€
“You shouldn&a circ;€Ÿt be so hasty, Sesshomaru-chan,â € said Eternal. “You need to first here
what the requirement ;is. You may change your mind and understandable so. What
is required to& nbsp;form a second blade around Tenseiga. &nb sp;It will protect and hold the
broken&n bsp;sword together while it mends. It w ill also draw out the poison that sicken s
it. It will be a slow proce ss, taking years or even decades before the blade is whole
again and can fu nction as it was designed to.â€
“How will this second blade be made?†asked Kakiboufuu ;in a whisper, his golden
eyes lidded.&n bsp; Sesshomaru glanced at his brother. ;The hanyou didn‟t seem any bett er
from a moment earlier. He seeme d almost afraid.
Eternal closed he r eyes and said in an even tone, &a circ;€œThe second blade will be a spirit
blade made from the concentrated celestial energy of Sesshomaru‟s teny okai
powers.†Sesshomaruâ€&Yuml ;s gaze shot back to Eternal who looked& nbsp;almost sad as she met
his eyes.&nbs p;
“My celestial powers? & nbsp;How can you form a blade from that? â€
It was Kakiboufuu who&nbs p;answered. “If you concentrate&nbs p;the power and sheathe it in
spiritual& nbsp;energy you can make physical item. ;But it means taking every piece of
you that marks you as a celestial, conc entrating it and transferring it to a ex ternal
item.â€
â€&oeli g;In this case it will be focused around the Tenseiga,†said Eternal. &a circ;€œIt is your sword
and the&nb sp;Tenseiga is a celestial weapon. It i s compatible with your power. Your
healing energy, inherited from your mother w ill help to draw out the poison while&nb sp;
your celestial energy will protect the&nbs p;metal of the fang from corrosion or purification.â€
Sesshomaru nar rowed his eyes and glanced at his little brother. “What‟s ;the
problem then?â€
â €œYour celestial and healing power will no longer reside within your flesh,â&e uro; replied
Kakiboufuu. Sesshomaru gasped.& nbsp;
“As long as the ;sword is with you, you can use your&nbs p;powers as if your still had them
inside you. You can even transform,â&e uro; added Eternal. “However, if you were to
become separated from&nbs p;your weapon. You will become like tha t of an ordinary
demon. You will&n bsp;not have your celestial power or your&nbs p;mother‟s healing power of
the& nbsp;tsuki inu clan. Though your demon self is hardly ordinary, come to think o f it.
A second generation shin yok ai in this day and age is as far&nb sp;from ordinary as a full
blood can&nbs p;get.â€
Sesshomaru looked down&n bsp;more concerned about the risks of healing Tenseiga then
on her strange reference& nbsp;to the type of demon he was. It will restore Tenseiga, but
not quickl y. This second blade will become my&nbs p;weak point. If an enemy were to
discover this they would aim for the&nbs p;sword, knowing I would lose power the moment
it left my grip, he thought. ;
“There is no other way?†he asked.
â€&oe lig;None.â€
Sesshomaru closed his eyes and asked his final question, &aci rc;€œIf I choose to go through
this and externalize my power, will it ;never return to being within me?â€&nbs p;
“Once Tenseiga is resto red it flow back into,†she repli ed, “however, once power like < br> this has taken physical form it rarely&nb sp;forgets. It will flow back but it&nb sp;can just as
easily reform around Tens eiga if you have need of it.â€&nbs p;
Sesshomaru sighed, relieved&nb sp;that it wouldn‟t be permanent ;and reevaluating his
choice.
&aci rc;€œBut,†Kakiboufuu said, pulling&n bsp;Sesshomaru from his thoughts and drawing
Eternal‟s attention. The older& nbsp;demon looked at his brother but his ;eyes were hidden
beneath his bangs. &nb sp;“You need to heed Eternalâ& euro;Ÿs warning about Tenseiga.
T enseiga‟s directive is to save l ives, not end them. When it is res tored, do not
lightly wield the second&n bsp;blade without understanding the full consequen ces of such
actions.â€
“What do you mean by that?&acir c;€ Sesshomaru demanded, glaring at his brother.
Kakiboufuu was silent for a&nb sp;moment then bowed his head and rubbed ;it again.
“What does you mean?†repeated Sesshomaru in a more forceful tone.
“It&n bsp;means… what it means,â€&n bsp;replied the hanyou in slurred voice. &nbs p;“I don‟t know
ei ther.â€
He had done it again. He had said something that made& nbsp;absolutely no sense.
Kakiboufuu squeeze d the bridge of his nose and spikes ;of pain throbbed throughout
his temple. ; The earlier feeling of foreboding had increased and now he had given a
wa rning without realizing it. It wasnâ&e uro;Ÿt like the moment with Totosai. &nb sp;The remark
had seemed odd but it ;had a sense of practicality to it. &nbs p;Why throw away an item
that could ;be used later? Even if he didnâ& euro;Ÿt know for what it seemed wise&nbs p;for the
smith to hang on to the&n bsp;second fang until he figured what he ;could use it for. This
warning ca me with a sense of fear and image t hat refused to come into focus. It ;was
important but he couldn‟t&n bsp;figure out why.
Eternal said n othing but Sesshomaru wasn‟t happy&nb sp;about the dismissive nature of
Kakiboufuu& nbsp;excuse. Still there wasn‟t ;anything the hanyou could do about it. His
attempt to figure out the ;warning riddle was increasing the pain in&nb sp;his forehead.
But I need to fig ure this out, he thought as he gritted&n bsp;his teeth. This seems too
important to ignore. Spots flashed before his&nb sp;eyes and he felt something trickle
do wn his face before everything went black.&nbs p;
Sesshomaru growled in irritation then froze. While it was obvious that his brother
was in pain, the sight of blood emerging from the skin on his&n bsp;forehead without a cut
to justify it startled him. “Inuyasha!â&eu ro; he cried as the hanyou tipped forwar d his
eyes rolling. He caught his& nbsp;brother before he fell face first into&n bsp;the bonfire.
Sesshomaru pulled the hanyou back and shook his shoulders as h e tried to wake
him. Blood continu ed to drip down his face but Kakiboufuu& nbsp;remained unconscious.
Naomi appeared&nb sp;next to him and took her uncle from&n bsp;her father. She cradled the
hanyou& nbsp;in her arms while stroking his face.&nbs p; “This wound isn‟t&nb sp;natural,†she said,
placing her&nbs p;cupped hand over Kakiboufuu‟s foreh ead. “I can feel a strang e power
throbbing just behind the skin.& nbsp; I don‟t dare try to h eal it.â€
“What&aci rc;€Ÿs going on?†muttered Sessho maru.
“The Prophetâ&euro ;Ÿs Eye,†whispered Eternal, stunned.& nbsp; “I never imagined it woul d
appear among the impure…&nbs p;least of all Lucifer‟s bloodline.&a circ;€
“The Prophetâ ;€Ÿs Eye?†repeated Sesshomaru as he turned back to face Eternal.
&n bsp;
The tengu was troubled but she ignor ed his question. Instead she addressed him
with one of her own. â&e uro;œSesshomaru-chan, do you still desire th e Tenseiga‟s
restoration despite ;the risks involved.†She no lon ger sounded confident about
restoring it.&nbs p; She gazed into Sesshomaru‟s g olden eyes, searching for something
within.&n bsp;
Sesshomaru looked away and too k in the sight of his unconscious brothe r.
“Understand, Sesshomaru-chan,&ac irc;€ she added, “I now be lieve the risks to be greater
than I originally thought when I proposed it. ; There may be more danger in
resto ring Tenseiga then in letting remain in pieces.â€
The Prophetâ€&Yum l;s Eye? Prophet… Sesshomaru gasped as realization struck. Does
Inuyasha have the ability to see the f uture?
“I donâ€&Yum l;t know either.â€
Was he&nb sp;trying to make sense of something? W as that why he collapsed? Can he n ot
see clearly? Are words, are act ions, his vision? Sesshomaru reached forward and
brushed the bangs from his bro ther‟s face. Pulled his hand&nb sp;back and clenched it
into a fist ;before turning back to face Eternal. H is decision made.
“He&nbs p;said not to use the second blade light ly when Tenseiga was restored,†said&n bsp;
Sesshomaru. “He did not&nb sp;say „Don‟t restore Te nseiga.‟â€
â€& oelig;You are prepared?†asked Eternal.&nbs p; Sesshomaru nodded, his gaze never wavering .
“Then let us begin.&aci rc;€ She raised her hands then spr ead them wide before her. Blue
fla me fell upon the broken blade, bathing e ach splintered piece. With every part < br> now afire, the sword rose into the a ir between them. Eternal moved her righ t hand
toward Sesshomaru and said, &acir c;€œThis will be uncomfortable for you& nbsp;but try not to
resist.â€
Sesshomaru had no time to take in her words before his mind went blank&nb sp;as agony
beyond description filled him.&nb sp; He didn‟t know if he we re screaming, he didn‟t know
if he were resisting. He didn†Ÿt know if he was even alive.
Naomi watched in wide-eyed horror as Eternal drew the celestial aspect of her
father from him. Sesshomaru†Ÿs back was arched, his shoulders thrown back, his
fingers extended to their&nbs p;fullest, his pupils contracted so far they& nbsp;were no longer
visible. The whites of his eyes flickered between their nor mal color, red and green;
the irises&nbs p;flickered between gold and turquoise. His& nbsp;face pointed to the sky with his mouth wide open in a silent scream. < br>
Naomi heard a crack that seemed&nbs p;too loud in strange silence of the ter rifying scene.
She looked down and ;realized in her fear and shock sheâ&eu ro;Ÿd gripped her uncle too
tight; breaking his right upper arm. His left& nbsp;shoulder, pressed against her chest,
hun g at an odd angle. Biting her lip, she checked it and found it had po pped out of
its socket. Forcing he rself to ignore her father‟s tor tured form, she pushed the
shoulder back into place and focused on straightening ;her uncle‟s arm and healing
it.
Movement on the edge of ;her vision grabbed her attention and she&nbs p;hissed. Her
father‟s position hadn‟t change but something was splitting off from him. Made of < br> white light it held a humanoid shape ;with long ears and as it pulled further away
from Sesshomaru, she could see&nbs p;the tell tale sign of wings. Her ;father‟s celestial
body was pul ling away from him. It resisted the&nbs p;draw of Eternal‟s sword and wa ved
like a flag in a gale, however, it was losing ground. It seemed a n eternity before a
part of the fig ure of light touched Tenseiga, then it w as over it less than a second.
It was drawn in like thread to a spool. The light spun around Tenseiga a nd the
sword vanished at it took sh ape.
Sesshomaru, released from Eternal& acirc;€Ÿs spell, fell forward onto his&n bsp;hands, gasping.
His thoughts slowly ;began to form again as he mind accessed the changes to his
body. He glanced around but saw the sun was still high in the sky, though his
vision seemed darker. His body also seemed&nb sp;heavier. His arms trembled with the
accustomed effort to hold up his torso.& nbsp;
“If you are fee ling disoriented that is understandable,â€&n bsp;said Eternal. “There is so me
physical aspects your celestial powers&nbs p;affect. It will take time to adjust&n bsp;so don‟t
rush it.â€&nb sp;
“I noticed you didn&ac irc;€Ÿt tell me about these consequences before you took my power,â€
muttered Sesshomaru, forgetting himself in his&nbs p;confusion.
Eternal chuckled. â €œI assumed you would consider such&nbs p;physical unpleasantness a
trivial matter.⠀ Sesshomaru didn‟t say an ymore as he pushed himself back. He&nbs p;sat
panting for a minute before openin g his eyes again. There in front o f him was a
pure white blade. ;It held the same length and shape as&nb sp;Tenseiga, though it may
have been a&n bsp;bit wider and longer, however at the ;base of the hilt where the guard
w as supposed to be was a clear orb t hat flickered with energy.
â&euro ;œThis is the Tenken, formed from your& nbsp;celestial and spiritual energy,†said& nbsp;Eternal.
“It will assist& nbsp;you in battle as it restores Tenseiga.&n bsp; Just don‟t forget what you& nbsp;have
been told about this second bl ade.â€
Sesshomaru reached out&nbs p;and took hold of the hilt of the sword. Instantly his vision
improved an d he felt lighter. “Iâ&e uro;Ÿll remember,†he said.
;
Eternal nodded then glanced at the stil l unconscious hanyou. Her expression
be came troubled but the sapphire flames closed& nbsp;around her without her saying
anything&n bsp;and she vanished. Nothing but ash r emained where the fire had been
raging&n bsp;a moment before.
“Ten ken,†he whispered then looked back&nb sp;at his brother.
â€& oelig;When it is restored, do not lightly&nbs p;wield the second blade without understanding&nbs p;
the full consequences of such actions.&acir c;€
“Tenseigaâ€&Yum l;s directive is to save lives, not end& nbsp;them.â€
Sesshomaru gl anced down at the white sword. What&nbs p;was the future you sensed
when you&nbs p;said those words, Inuyasha?
--------- -----------------------
Coming soon…&nbs p;
Chapter 33: Black Threads
Following a string of successful raids, Sesshomaru leads an attack against a supply&n bsp;
caravan only to fall into a trap.&nb sp;
Glossary
______________________________ ______________________________________
Translations:
Ts uchi: earth
Hi: fire
Mizu: water Ki: wood
Kane: metal
Kaze: wind
Himizu: as discordant as fire and water& nbsp;
Hikaze: fire wind
Tenki: weather Enzeru: angel
Hanyou: half-demon
Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman‟s waist to hold her kimono closed.
Matte: wait!
Shoji: sliding&nbs p;door.
Engawa: veranda, walkway running alon g the outside of the buildings.
Temee:&n bsp;you, derogatory term, very insulting.
Kis ama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than&n bsp;temee
Ano: uh
Hai: Yes
Aniyome: elder brother‟s wife; sister-in-law& nbsp;
Hime: Princess
Waka: Young lord, us ed for the son of a noble.
Otouto:& nbsp;Little brother.
Onii-(__): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, det ermining level of
respect of love. ;(Can also be used when addressing a you ng man.)
Aniue: Big brother, formal.
Imouto: Little sister.
Onee-(__): Big siste r, general. Honorific added on to end,& nbsp;determining level of
respect of love.&nb sp; (Can also be used when addressing a& nbsp;young woman.)
Aneue: Big sister, formal.
Ojii-(__): Grandfather, general. Honorific& nbsp;added on to end, determining level of&nb sp;
respect of love. (Can also be u sed when addressing an elderly man.)
Oba a-(__): Grandmother, general. Honorific added&nbs p;on to end, determining level of
respec t of love. (Can also be used when& nbsp;addressing an elderly woman.)
Oji-(__): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to e nd, determining level of respect of
love . (Can also be used when addressing&nbs p;a middle-aged man.)
Oba-(__): Aunt, general . Honorific added on to end, determinin g level of respect of
love. (Can&n bsp;also be used when addressing a middle-age d woman.)
Mina wa ookii aho desu: & nbsp;Everyone‟s a big idiot.
Sum imasen: Excuse me.
Oyaji: Father, informal&nb sp;masculine.
Otou-(__): Father, general. &nb sp;Honorific added on to end, determining lev el of respect
or love.
Chichiue: Fa ther, formal.
Ofukuro: Mother, informal mascu line.
Okaa-(__): Mother, general. Honorific& nbsp;added on to end, determining level of&nb sp;respect
or love.
Hahaue: Mother, form al
Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children o f court nobles to their mothers.
XX-(bla nk): Intimate or rude address depending on&nb sp;usage.
XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, fr iendly
XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr . or Ms.)
XX-sama: formal or very p olite honorific, used for those of superior&n bsp;status or to show
great respect. (Lo rd or Lady)
XX-dono: more formal honorif ic, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived&nb sp;from tono
= lord.
now most powerful fire spirit in t he world. She can arrange the recovery& nbsp;of the
sword but the risks are ;high.
148 years before the search for the jewel shards
Chapter&n bsp;32: The Sword’s Shattered Spirit
I never believed a sword shattered beyond physical recovery could be& nbsp;fixed quickly.
I just never realiz ed how long it would take for the s cattered pieces to rebind nor
the danger it would put Aniue in.
-Inuyasha < br>
“What reason has brought&n bsp;you to call me here, Lucifer no waka ?†asked Eternal, the
lady of&nbs p;fire and wind.
Kakiboufuu waited ;for his brother to begin, it was his&nb sp;sword, but the older demon
seemed los t in thought and the hanyou knew it ;would anger the volatile woman if
her&n bsp;question was answered promptly. Sesshomaru&nb sp;was the most worried about this
encou nter and he‟s not even paying&nb sp;attention, though Kakiboufuu as he took a& nbsp;deep
breath before he began.
“Forgive are rudeness in bringi ng you here but Aniue and I are in& nbsp;need of you
assistance,†said&nbs p;Kakiboufuu. He placed his hands on ei ther end of the shattered
sword. & acirc;€œThe spirit blade, Tenseiga, was ;irreversibly damaged by another sword in
battle. We have gathered all the piec es, and though the sword still shows lif e, it
can‟t seem to mend&nb sp;itself without outside help. This is ;beyond the skill anyone of
this world&n bsp;can provide. We were hoping you wou ld know how the blade could be
rest ored.â€
Blue fire danced&nbs p;around her as she regarded the sword a t her feet. Then she knelt,
spread ing her azure wings as she did, and ;touched the broken blade‟s tip. ; Tenseiga
flashed again. Eternalâ&eur o;Ÿs eyes blazed in response, though no& nbsp;anger could be felt
emanating from her.
“This sword should&n bsp;be repaired,†she said after a&nbs p;long silence. “It is not&nbs p;a dead thing
to be discarded.â€& nbsp;
“Eh?†Sessho maru looked between the shattered sword and&n bsp;tengu. “What do you
m ean?â€
“I take ;it you have not meditated on your sword ,†said Eternal in a dry voice.&n bsp; She
looked at Sesshomaru in disappr oval. The inuyokai flinched back from h er piercing
gaze but said nothing. ;She returned her gaze to the sword. &nb sp;“A sword that saves
lives&nb sp;ultimately has life of its own and a& nbsp;will. This sword can choose to ign ore you
or it can choose to serve&n bsp;you. It can even choose to save&nbs p;you even when you don‟t
w ish it. It is careless and even da ngerous to have such a sword and not&nbs p;connect
spirit to spirit, will to will . It may end up following its own& nbsp;directive and do
something you did not intend.â€
Kakiboufuu bit ;off a gasp then bowed his head as he rubbed his eyes, suddenly in
pain.&nb sp;
“Are you all right,&nb sp;Otouto?†asked Sesshomaru, his brother&a circ;€Ÿs face was pale in the
firelight.
“I‟m&n bsp;all right,†Kakiboufuu replied as his hand moved to his forehead. Spots&n bsp;
continued to dance before his eyes, but the vision, if it was one was g one before he
could identify it. &n bsp;“I just sometimes get these ;random headaches. It‟s not a&n bsp;problem,
it‟s already going away.â€
Sesshomaru didnâ€&Y uml;t look convinced but didn‟t press the issue. Eternal‟s blue eyes
narrowed but seemed more concerned than irritated. She continued without saying
anything on the matter despite he r intense interest.
“What ever sword did the damaged seems to have poisoned the metal of the blade,â&euro ;
she said, returning their focus to&nbs p;the subject at matter. “The& nbsp;scattered pieces want
to reconnect but&n bsp;can‟t recognize the others as&nbs p;being part of the same blade. The&nbs p;
sword must be purged of the poison&nbs p;first then the pieces will become one again.â€
“How does& nbsp;one remove the poison from the metal?&ac irc;€ asked Sesshomaru.
â€&o elig;Not by any method any person of thi s world can perform without losing the s word
forever,†replied Eternal. She rose to her full height as she spoke. “You did well to < br> gather all the fragments together, however,&nb sp;if you were to use conventional methods&nb sp;
of purging bits of the metal would&nb sp;be destroyed and the sword would never&nbs p;reform.â€
“What a bout a priestess? Wouldn‟t they be able to purge the poison without&nbs p;
damaging the blade?†asked Kakiboufu u.
“You would think so, but purification does cause some heavily& nbsp;affected parts to be
destroyed instead&n bsp;of cleaned. It is like removing dis eased flesh from a wound, some
sacrifice s are needed to save the whole,â€& nbsp;she replied. “However, in ;this case nothing
would be saved. ;There is one method that can restore Te nseiga but it carries great
risk.â&euro ;
Sesshomaru stared at her for&nbs p;a moment and said, “Whatever the risk, I need to have
Chichiueâ €Ÿs sword restored. It must be.&ac irc;€
“You shouldn&a circ;€Ÿt be so hasty, Sesshomaru-chan,â € said Eternal. “You need to first here
what the requirement ;is. You may change your mind and understandable so. What
is required to& nbsp;form a second blade around Tenseiga. &nb sp;It will protect and hold the
broken&n bsp;sword together while it mends. It w ill also draw out the poison that sicken s
it. It will be a slow proce ss, taking years or even decades before the blade is whole
again and can fu nction as it was designed to.â€
“How will this second blade be made?†asked Kakiboufuu ;in a whisper, his golden
eyes lidded.&n bsp; Sesshomaru glanced at his brother. ;The hanyou didn‟t seem any bett er
from a moment earlier. He seeme d almost afraid.
Eternal closed he r eyes and said in an even tone, &a circ;€œThe second blade will be a spirit
blade made from the concentrated celestial energy of Sesshomaru‟s teny okai
powers.†Sesshomaruâ€&Yuml ;s gaze shot back to Eternal who looked& nbsp;almost sad as she met
his eyes.&nbs p;
“My celestial powers? & nbsp;How can you form a blade from that? â€
It was Kakiboufuu who&nbs p;answered. “If you concentrate&nbs p;the power and sheathe it in
spiritual& nbsp;energy you can make physical item. ;But it means taking every piece of
you that marks you as a celestial, conc entrating it and transferring it to a ex ternal
item.â€
â€&oeli g;In this case it will be focused around the Tenseiga,†said Eternal. &a circ;€œIt is your sword
and the&nb sp;Tenseiga is a celestial weapon. It i s compatible with your power. Your
healing energy, inherited from your mother w ill help to draw out the poison while&nb sp;
your celestial energy will protect the&nbs p;metal of the fang from corrosion or purification.â€
Sesshomaru nar rowed his eyes and glanced at his little brother. “What‟s ;the
problem then?â€
â €œYour celestial and healing power will no longer reside within your flesh,â&e uro; replied
Kakiboufuu. Sesshomaru gasped.& nbsp;
“As long as the ;sword is with you, you can use your&nbs p;powers as if your still had them
inside you. You can even transform,â&e uro; added Eternal. “However, if you were to
become separated from&nbs p;your weapon. You will become like tha t of an ordinary
demon. You will&n bsp;not have your celestial power or your&nbs p;mother‟s healing power of
the& nbsp;tsuki inu clan. Though your demon self is hardly ordinary, come to think o f it.
A second generation shin yok ai in this day and age is as far&nb sp;from ordinary as a full
blood can&nbs p;get.â€
Sesshomaru looked down&n bsp;more concerned about the risks of healing Tenseiga then
on her strange reference& nbsp;to the type of demon he was. It will restore Tenseiga, but
not quickl y. This second blade will become my&nbs p;weak point. If an enemy were to
discover this they would aim for the&nbs p;sword, knowing I would lose power the moment
it left my grip, he thought. ;
“There is no other way?†he asked.
â€&oe lig;None.â€
Sesshomaru closed his eyes and asked his final question, &aci rc;€œIf I choose to go through
this and externalize my power, will it ;never return to being within me?â€&nbs p;
“Once Tenseiga is resto red it flow back into,†she repli ed, “however, once power like < br> this has taken physical form it rarely&nb sp;forgets. It will flow back but it&nb sp;can just as
easily reform around Tens eiga if you have need of it.â€&nbs p;
Sesshomaru sighed, relieved&nb sp;that it wouldn‟t be permanent ;and reevaluating his
choice.
&aci rc;€œBut,†Kakiboufuu said, pulling&n bsp;Sesshomaru from his thoughts and drawing
Eternal‟s attention. The older& nbsp;demon looked at his brother but his ;eyes were hidden
beneath his bangs. &nb sp;“You need to heed Eternalâ& euro;Ÿs warning about Tenseiga.
T enseiga‟s directive is to save l ives, not end them. When it is res tored, do not
lightly wield the second&n bsp;blade without understanding the full consequen ces of such
actions.â€
“What do you mean by that?&acir c;€ Sesshomaru demanded, glaring at his brother.
Kakiboufuu was silent for a&nb sp;moment then bowed his head and rubbed ;it again.
“What does you mean?†repeated Sesshomaru in a more forceful tone.
“It&n bsp;means… what it means,â€&n bsp;replied the hanyou in slurred voice. &nbs p;“I don‟t know
ei ther.â€
He had done it again. He had said something that made& nbsp;absolutely no sense.
Kakiboufuu squeeze d the bridge of his nose and spikes ;of pain throbbed throughout
his temple. ; The earlier feeling of foreboding had increased and now he had given a
wa rning without realizing it. It wasnâ&e uro;Ÿt like the moment with Totosai. &nb sp;The remark
had seemed odd but it ;had a sense of practicality to it. &nbs p;Why throw away an item
that could ;be used later? Even if he didnâ& euro;Ÿt know for what it seemed wise&nbs p;for the
smith to hang on to the&n bsp;second fang until he figured what he ;could use it for. This
warning ca me with a sense of fear and image t hat refused to come into focus. It ;was
important but he couldn‟t&n bsp;figure out why.
Eternal said n othing but Sesshomaru wasn‟t happy&nb sp;about the dismissive nature of
Kakiboufuu& nbsp;excuse. Still there wasn‟t ;anything the hanyou could do about it. His
attempt to figure out the ;warning riddle was increasing the pain in&nb sp;his forehead.
But I need to fig ure this out, he thought as he gritted&n bsp;his teeth. This seems too
important to ignore. Spots flashed before his&nb sp;eyes and he felt something trickle
do wn his face before everything went black.&nbs p;
Sesshomaru growled in irritation then froze. While it was obvious that his brother
was in pain, the sight of blood emerging from the skin on his&n bsp;forehead without a cut
to justify it startled him. “Inuyasha!â&eu ro; he cried as the hanyou tipped forwar d his
eyes rolling. He caught his& nbsp;brother before he fell face first into&n bsp;the bonfire.
Sesshomaru pulled the hanyou back and shook his shoulders as h e tried to wake
him. Blood continu ed to drip down his face but Kakiboufuu& nbsp;remained unconscious.
Naomi appeared&nb sp;next to him and took her uncle from&n bsp;her father. She cradled the
hanyou& nbsp;in her arms while stroking his face.&nbs p; “This wound isn‟t&nb sp;natural,†she said,
placing her&nbs p;cupped hand over Kakiboufuu‟s foreh ead. “I can feel a strang e power
throbbing just behind the skin.& nbsp; I don‟t dare try to h eal it.â€
“What&aci rc;€Ÿs going on?†muttered Sessho maru.
“The Prophetâ&euro ;Ÿs Eye,†whispered Eternal, stunned.& nbsp; “I never imagined it woul d
appear among the impure…&nbs p;least of all Lucifer‟s bloodline.&a circ;€
“The Prophetâ ;€Ÿs Eye?†repeated Sesshomaru as he turned back to face Eternal.
&n bsp;
The tengu was troubled but she ignor ed his question. Instead she addressed him
with one of her own. â&e uro;œSesshomaru-chan, do you still desire th e Tenseiga‟s
restoration despite ;the risks involved.†She no lon ger sounded confident about
restoring it.&nbs p; She gazed into Sesshomaru‟s g olden eyes, searching for something
within.&n bsp;
Sesshomaru looked away and too k in the sight of his unconscious brothe r.
“Understand, Sesshomaru-chan,&ac irc;€ she added, “I now be lieve the risks to be greater
than I originally thought when I proposed it. ; There may be more danger in
resto ring Tenseiga then in letting remain in pieces.â€
The Prophetâ€&Yum l;s Eye? Prophet… Sesshomaru gasped as realization struck. Does
Inuyasha have the ability to see the f uture?
“I donâ€&Yum l;t know either.â€
Was he&nb sp;trying to make sense of something? W as that why he collapsed? Can he n ot
see clearly? Are words, are act ions, his vision? Sesshomaru reached forward and
brushed the bangs from his bro ther‟s face. Pulled his hand&nb sp;back and clenched it
into a fist ;before turning back to face Eternal. H is decision made.
“He&nbs p;said not to use the second blade light ly when Tenseiga was restored,†said&n bsp;
Sesshomaru. “He did not&nb sp;say „Don‟t restore Te nseiga.‟â€
â€& oelig;You are prepared?†asked Eternal.&nbs p; Sesshomaru nodded, his gaze never wavering .
“Then let us begin.&aci rc;€ She raised her hands then spr ead them wide before her. Blue
fla me fell upon the broken blade, bathing e ach splintered piece. With every part < br> now afire, the sword rose into the a ir between them. Eternal moved her righ t hand
toward Sesshomaru and said, &acir c;€œThis will be uncomfortable for you& nbsp;but try not to
resist.â€
Sesshomaru had no time to take in her words before his mind went blank&nb sp;as agony
beyond description filled him.&nb sp; He didn‟t know if he we re screaming, he didn‟t know
if he were resisting. He didn†Ÿt know if he was even alive.
Naomi watched in wide-eyed horror as Eternal drew the celestial aspect of her
father from him. Sesshomaru†Ÿs back was arched, his shoulders thrown back, his
fingers extended to their&nbs p;fullest, his pupils contracted so far they& nbsp;were no longer
visible. The whites of his eyes flickered between their nor mal color, red and green;
the irises&nbs p;flickered between gold and turquoise. His& nbsp;face pointed to the sky with his mouth wide open in a silent scream. < br>
Naomi heard a crack that seemed&nbs p;too loud in strange silence of the ter rifying scene.
She looked down and ;realized in her fear and shock sheâ&eu ro;Ÿd gripped her uncle too
tight; breaking his right upper arm. His left& nbsp;shoulder, pressed against her chest,
hun g at an odd angle. Biting her lip, she checked it and found it had po pped out of
its socket. Forcing he rself to ignore her father‟s tor tured form, she pushed the
shoulder back into place and focused on straightening ;her uncle‟s arm and healing
it.
Movement on the edge of ;her vision grabbed her attention and she&nbs p;hissed. Her
father‟s position hadn‟t change but something was splitting off from him. Made of < br> white light it held a humanoid shape ;with long ears and as it pulled further away
from Sesshomaru, she could see&nbs p;the tell tale sign of wings. Her ;father‟s celestial
body was pul ling away from him. It resisted the&nbs p;draw of Eternal‟s sword and wa ved
like a flag in a gale, however, it was losing ground. It seemed a n eternity before a
part of the fig ure of light touched Tenseiga, then it w as over it less than a second.
It was drawn in like thread to a spool. The light spun around Tenseiga a nd the
sword vanished at it took sh ape.
Sesshomaru, released from Eternal& acirc;€Ÿs spell, fell forward onto his&n bsp;hands, gasping.
His thoughts slowly ;began to form again as he mind accessed the changes to his
body. He glanced around but saw the sun was still high in the sky, though his
vision seemed darker. His body also seemed&nb sp;heavier. His arms trembled with the
accustomed effort to hold up his torso.& nbsp;
“If you are fee ling disoriented that is understandable,â€&n bsp;said Eternal. “There is so me
physical aspects your celestial powers&nbs p;affect. It will take time to adjust&n bsp;so don‟t
rush it.â€&nb sp;
“I noticed you didn&ac irc;€Ÿt tell me about these consequences before you took my power,â€
muttered Sesshomaru, forgetting himself in his&nbs p;confusion.
Eternal chuckled. â €œI assumed you would consider such&nbs p;physical unpleasantness a
trivial matter.⠀ Sesshomaru didn‟t say an ymore as he pushed himself back. He&nbs p;sat
panting for a minute before openin g his eyes again. There in front o f him was a
pure white blade. ;It held the same length and shape as&nb sp;Tenseiga, though it may
have been a&n bsp;bit wider and longer, however at the ;base of the hilt where the guard
w as supposed to be was a clear orb t hat flickered with energy.
â&euro ;œThis is the Tenken, formed from your& nbsp;celestial and spiritual energy,†said& nbsp;Eternal.
“It will assist& nbsp;you in battle as it restores Tenseiga.&n bsp; Just don‟t forget what you& nbsp;have
been told about this second bl ade.â€
Sesshomaru reached out&nbs p;and took hold of the hilt of the sword. Instantly his vision
improved an d he felt lighter. “Iâ&e uro;Ÿll remember,†he said.
;
Eternal nodded then glanced at the stil l unconscious hanyou. Her expression
be came troubled but the sapphire flames closed& nbsp;around her without her saying
anything&n bsp;and she vanished. Nothing but ash r emained where the fire had been
raging&n bsp;a moment before.
“Ten ken,†he whispered then looked back&nb sp;at his brother.
â€& oelig;When it is restored, do not lightly&nbs p;wield the second blade without understanding&nbs p;
the full consequences of such actions.&acir c;€
“Tenseigaâ€&Yum l;s directive is to save lives, not end& nbsp;them.â€
Sesshomaru gl anced down at the white sword. What&nbs p;was the future you sensed
when you&nbs p;said those words, Inuyasha?
--------- -----------------------
Coming soon…&nbs p;
Chapter 33: Black Threads
Following a string of successful raids, Sesshomaru leads an attack against a supply&n bsp;
caravan only to fall into a trap.&nb sp;
Glossary
______________________________ ______________________________________
Translations:
Ts uchi: earth
Hi: fire
Mizu: water Ki: wood
Kane: metal
Kaze: wind
Himizu: as discordant as fire and water& nbsp;
Hikaze: fire wind
Tenki: weather Enzeru: angel
Hanyou: half-demon
Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman‟s waist to hold her kimono closed.
Matte: wait!
Shoji: sliding&nbs p;door.
Engawa: veranda, walkway running alon g the outside of the buildings.
Temee:&n bsp;you, derogatory term, very insulting.
Kis ama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than&n bsp;temee
Ano: uh
Hai: Yes
Aniyome: elder brother‟s wife; sister-in-law& nbsp;
Hime: Princess
Waka: Young lord, us ed for the son of a noble.
Otouto:& nbsp;Little brother.
Onii-(__): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, det ermining level of
respect of love. ;(Can also be used when addressing a you ng man.)
Aniue: Big brother, formal.
Imouto: Little sister.
Onee-(__): Big siste r, general. Honorific added on to end,& nbsp;determining level of
respect of love.&nb sp; (Can also be used when addressing a& nbsp;young woman.)
Aneue: Big sister, formal.
Ojii-(__): Grandfather, general. Honorific& nbsp;added on to end, determining level of&nb sp;
respect of love. (Can also be u sed when addressing an elderly man.)
Oba a-(__): Grandmother, general. Honorific added&nbs p;on to end, determining level of
respec t of love. (Can also be used when& nbsp;addressing an elderly woman.)
Oji-(__): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to e nd, determining level of respect of
love . (Can also be used when addressing&nbs p;a middle-aged man.)
Oba-(__): Aunt, general . Honorific added on to end, determinin g level of respect of
love. (Can&n bsp;also be used when addressing a middle-age d woman.)
Mina wa ookii aho desu: & nbsp;Everyone‟s a big idiot.
Sum imasen: Excuse me.
Oyaji: Father, informal&nb sp;masculine.
Otou-(__): Father, general. &nb sp;Honorific added on to end, determining lev el of respect
or love.
Chichiue: Fa ther, formal.
Ofukuro: Mother, informal mascu line.
Okaa-(__): Mother, general. Honorific& nbsp;added on to end, determining level of&nb sp;respect
or love.
Hahaue: Mother, form al
Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children o f court nobles to their mothers.
XX-(bla nk): Intimate or rude address depending on&nb sp;usage.
XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, fr iendly
XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr . or Ms.)
XX-sama: formal or very p olite honorific, used for those of superior&n bsp;status or to show
great respect. (Lo rd or Lady)
XX-dono: more formal honorif ic, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived&nb sp;from tono
= lord.