Ice and Snow, Mind and Heart

Chapter 4: Tokijin

"He's acting like nothing's happened even though his head has been split open!" Shippo cried, and Kagome whispered fearfully: "Yeah. It must be the sword controlling him!"

As Kaijinbo made to attack her again, she jumped away again, twisting instead and placing her knives parallel to her face as she cried: "Winter Blaze!"

She swung her knives, sending out the bright blue slashes signature to her move, and Kaijinbo cried out as he was cut in various places by the attack though Tokijin blocked most of it. Yuki grit her teeth as she landed before the others, still at the front to protect them but further from Kaijinbo and his powerful sword.

"It barely fazed him." Kagome noted worriedly, and Inuyasha was also frowning as he muttered: "That's one of Yuki's strongest attacks, and it barely scratched the sword."

"Hehehe, now you know it's futile!" Kaijinbo cackled, but Yuki's eyes slid briefly over to the skies, noting how it was lighting up. "So, come at me, Inuyasha! Or are you completely paralyzed by fear? Hiding meekly behind a girl and a child?"

Inuyasha growled as he stood with Kagome and Shippo, and Shippo said worriedly: "Inuyasha, don't be lured by his words!"

"I'm not going to fall for any tricks like that." Inuyasha replied firmly, even as he glared at Kaijinbo.

Inuyasha, too, had noted the skies brightening, and his eyes briefly met Yuki's bright blue ones as she glanced back at him. 'Just a little longer.' She seemed to be saying, and she knew what he was thinking, too. 'It's too long.'

"But the thing is," Inuyasha continued as he grabbed Shippo and then dropped the child to the side, "I'm not gonna run and hide any longer!"

He started to run passed his friends, and Kagome shouted furiously: "Inuyasha!"

"Why does he always have to be so stubborn?" Shippo demanded, while Miroku cried: "Yuki, stop him!"

Yuki had already moved to block Inuyasha – having foreseen his impatience and pride would get the better of him - but before he could argue or she could scold him, suddenly there was a bolt of lightning on the fields between their group and Kaijinbo.

Yuki raised her arm to shield her face from the bright light, squinting to see what was happening, before she blinked as the lightning cleared to reveal an old man with enormous, bulging eyes sitting atop a three-eyed cow.

"Who...?" Yuki began, when Sango gasped: "Totosai!"

"Who?" Yuki repeated blankly, and Kagome explained: "He's an old swordsmith, and the one who forged Inuyasha's father's swords!"

"Oh..." Yuki realized, while Miroku asked the old master: "Have you repaired the Tetsusaiga?"

"I should have known you had something to do with all this commotion." The old master complained to Inuyasha, who ignored him as he jumped around Yuki to sit before the old master on the three-eyed cow.

"You're late, or maybe you hadn't noticed. Give it here!" Inuyasha snapped, annoyed, as he grabbed a sheathed sword from Totosai.

Yuki watched with interest, wanting to see what this legendary Tetsusaiga looked like... only for Inuyasha to draw a rusty old sword from the sheath.

'That's it?' She wondered blankly, when a voice suddenly cried: "Master, don't do it!"

Yuki stared at the source of the voice coming from Inuaysha's shoulder, spying the tiny demon that had appeared on Inuyasha's chest.

"What's the problem, old Myoga?" Inuyasha demanded, while Yuki asked flatly: "Is that a flea?"

"Another friend of the old man's." Inuyasha explained, before he demanded of Myoga again: "Well?"