Ok, this is my first full length Inuyasha fic. I only hope everyone enjoys this.

Special thanks to all the following authors for allowing me to borrow names of things from them.

DemonGirl-Setsuna: My main character's name.

Nytemayr-Shatterd-DayDreams: Sesshomaru's mother's name

Yukina-Raven: Name of my main character's sword.

Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha or any other animes.

Chapter 1

"I'm sorry I haven't visited in a long time, but I've been gone for so long." a young man softly said aloud.

The young man had butt length dark black hair that was held up in a long ponytail that trailed down his back, but his bangs hung loosely. On his head, two black dog ears twitched lightly, but remained for the most part still. His hands had sharp claws, and he had sharp fangs that slightly poked out of his mouth. On his cheeks, two light purple jagged streaks were visible. His face was rather fair and he had eyes that were the color of muddy brown that held softness in them, but showed also some hardness that was hidden. His body was well toned, showing signs of years of training. He wore a kimono top made of fine black silk with red hexagon patterns with some red dripping to the bottom on each sleeve and on his left shoulder, and balloon like black pants. A green obi sash was tied around his waist, with a sword in it that had a black sheath with a small band of green at the top near the hilt of the sword. The sword itself had a finely braided green hilt and a golden guard. On his feet he wore black boot like shoes.

He was silently sitting on his knees, watching some incense continue to burn while at the same time began pulling a few weeds nearby out of the ground. Smiling, he softly said "It looks like it has been a while since anyone has been to your grave. I guess that's understandable from what I've heard had been happening in this region."

Finishing up with pulling the weeds, he softly smiled once again and traced the carved words on the tombstone. "I'm sorry for not being here when you needed me to be. I should have returned home and helped look after your son, but I instead continued on with my duty. It shames me that I didn't return, or that my stubborn older brother didn't help raise your son."

Sighing, the young man added "Don't worry though. I understand that your son did find his place in the world. You'd be so proud of him, I know it."

"Hey, are you done over there yet!?" an impatient voice called out.

Glancing over, the young man saw another young man with short spiky orange hair and brown eyes who had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He wore a black kimono top with pants that were solid black with a white inner kimono. Around his waist he wore a white sash that was in a few knots. Across his chest was a thick brown strap that was attached to a large sheath on his back that held a large sword with a red hilt and two small threads hanging off of it. His body was well defined, showing his great strength. On his feet were white socks with simple sandals.

"Would you have a little patience Ichigo?" the young man asked patiently.

"Whatever…" Ichigo grumbled back.

Sighing, the young man apologetically said "I'm sorry about that. He's so impatient. Anyways, don't worry about Inuyasha. I'm going to find him and make sure he knows the meaning of family from now on. I give you my word Izayoi, and I always keep to my word, no matter what."

Standing up, he pulled some flowers from inside his kimono and set them on the grave. "Please, rest in peace and don't worry. I will find him and show him what family is all about."

Bowing lowly, he turned and walked away from the grave in slow stride. Arriving at Ichigo's location, he glared at him, saying "Have some patience Ichigo. I haven't been here in nearly two and half centuries."

"Not my fault you don't visit." Ichigo smartly remarked. "Besides Iya, I thought you didn't know her?"

Smiling, Iya said "I knew her a little bit. Not much, but enough. Come, let's go visit another friend of mine who may have some info."

"This one alive?" Ichigo smugly asked.

"I hope." Iya wistfully remarked with a smirk.

Together, the pair began walking away from the small grave site.

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Arriving at a smoldering volcano, the pair walked up towards the mouth of a cave that was seemingly carved out of a dragon's mouth. Walking in, the pair looked around and noted an old man curled up asleep.

The old man had a thin patch of grey hair pulled up in a pony tail, wrinkly skin, a small mustache and goatee, horrible looking teeth, long finger nails, and bare feet. He wore a simple mostly green and black striped outfit that fit loosely on him.

"Master Totosai, are you awake?" Iya asked.

Slightly stirring, the old man rolled over away from the pair and mumbled "Leave me be."

Instantly, snores erupted from the old man again, as if he didn't even hear the pair a moment ago. Both Iya and Ichigo sweat dropped at this.

Growling loudly, Ichigo stomped over to the old man and nudged him with his foot, yelling "WAKE UP OLD MAN!"

The old man instantly stopped snoring and sat up. Rubbing his bugged out looking eyes, he glanced at Iya and Ichigo. "Can't you see I was sleeping?" he asked with a yawn.

"Master Totosai, do you not recognize me?" Iya asked.

Looking at Iya again, Totosai's forehead furrowed till finally a surprised look came over his face. "Iya, Iya Taisho, is that actually you!?"

Nodding, Iya remarked "Yes, it is Master Totosai. It's good to see you're still alive."

"It's been so long since I've seen you!" Totosai excitedly said. Standing up, he said "Let me get a better look at you."

Examining Iya head to toe, Totosai smiled once more and said "My, oh my, you look great! You turned out rather nicely."

Lightly smiling at the comment, Iya bowed his head, saying "Thank you."

"So, what brings you here? Last time I saw you, you were so young. It's been… how long has it been?" Totosai asked with a clueless look on his face.

Putting his index finger under his chin, Iya thought for a few moments before saying "I believe it's been nearly two-hundred-sixty years since I saw you Totosai."

"Wow, it's been a while." Totosai stated. "Have you taken good care of Ketsaiga since then?"

Pulling the sword out of it's sheath, Iya presented the flawless metal sword to the old man, saying "I've done my best. Whenever it dulled, I took it to be sharpened or did it myself. There are no flaws in it, so I thank you Master Totosai for your master craftsmanship."

"Wait, this is the guy who made your sword?" Ichigo asked with a look of shock.

"Of course I forged the Ketsaiga you whelp!" Totosai said with a foot stomp.

Folding his arms, Ichigo snapped back "I had no idea!"

Lightly chuckling at this, Iya handed the sword to Totosai, asking "Master Totosai, if it's not too much trouble, could you sharpen the blade for me?"

Examining the sword for flaws, the old man finally replied "Sure, I can sharpen it, plus I'll strengthen it a bit if I can. Go ahead and take a seat."

Both Ichigo and Iya sat down onto some rocks nearby while Totosai grabbed a nearby large hammer. With sure strokes, he began hammering on the sword and began holding his breath. Once his cheeks were full, he let out a deep breath that shot out fire at the sword. When the flames stopped spewing out, he began hammering the sword once more.

Turning his attention back to Iya, Totosai asked "How has your hunt been going?"

"Slow." Iya muttered.

"I see." Totosai replied with a nod. "By the way, did you hear about what had been happening in this region?"

"Yes, I did. I heard that a powerful half demon called Naraku nearly got his claws on the Jewel of Four Souls." Iya remarked.

Nodding, Totosai added "Yes, he nearly did, but Inuyasha, with a little help from some allies, beat him. Sesshomaru even helped out."

"Heh, that must of nearly killed Sesshomaru's pride to do that." Iya mused.

"No doubt." Totosai concurred. Examining the sword once more, he smiled, saying "You've taken good care of Ketsaiga, Iya. At least far better care than that fool Inuyasha did of Tetsusaiga."

Raising an eyebrow, Iya asked "Oh? What did he do to it?"

"The damn fool, he's done many things to it. I guess I should start from the beginning." Totosai said with a small sigh while picking up a sharpening tool.

Clearing his throat, Totosai said "Back about five years ago, Inuyasha and a young miko girl called Kagome, were beginning their journey to piece the Shikon no Tama back together that Kagome broke. Sesshomaru soon intervened within a week of their search beginning. He found the pair and demanded to know where the Tetsusaiga was. Myoga was with them at the time since Sesshomaru had been chasing after him. Anyways, from what I remember, Sesshomaru used a demon to look like Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi, so he could get his hands on the Black Pearl in Inuyasha's right eye."

Spewing some more fire onto the rock he was working on, Totosai continued on, saying "Well, once in the Black Pearl, Sesshomaru reached Tetsusaiga first. He attempted to pull it out of it's resting place, but found a barrier surrounding the hilt."

"It repelled him I'm guessing." Iya calmly said.

Nodding, Totosai replied "Sure did. Since Sesshomaru hated humans, the Tetsusaiga's barrier rejected him. Inuyasha himself tried to pull the sword out, but he couldn't. Kagome then accidentally grabbed hold of Tetsusaiga during the battle between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru and pulled it out of it's resting spot, thus shocking both brothers."

"No doubt. If some weak human pulled my sword out of something I couldn't, I'd be shocked." Ichigo muttered.

Ignoring Ichigo, Totosai continued on with his story. "Anyways, a battle broke out in full force then between the two brothers, with Sesshomaru apparently transforming into full dog form."

Lightly grunting, Iya muttered "That was a little over the top to finish off Inuyasha."

"I thought so too." Totosai added. "The two started fighting more seriously, but Inuyasha couldn't figure out how to use Tetsusaiga. Kagome began to despair, but Inuyasha cockily told her to let him protect her. Tetsusaiga instantly reacted to that and transformed for Inuyasha, allowing him to cut off Sesshomaru's left arm."

"He lost his arm?" Iya asked in a bit of shock.

Nodding, Totosai grinned, and cheerfully said "Yep, he did. That forced him to retreat from the Black Pearl and far away to recover. Inuyasha then returned with Kagome and the two continued their journey to find the Sacred Jewel Shards."

Stopping to hammer on the sword once more, Totosai then looked up and said "Not long after that, Sesshomaru apparently entered into a pact with Naraku, who gave him a human arm with a Sacred Jewel Shard embedded into it."

"Why bother with that? If he couldn't hold the sword before, why try with a human arm?" Ichigo irritably asked.

Thinking for a moment, Iya finally replied "I've heard of the power of the Sacred Jewel through rumors. It was supposed to give humans and demons extra power. My guess is, the human arm acted like an extension to Sesshomaru's demonic power, thus allowing him to grasp Tetsusaiga and transform it."

"Correct Iya. That's what Sesshomaru used the arm for. He took the Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha and wielded it with no problem. He even demonstrated the Wind Scar in front of him."

"That had to be hard on Inuyasha." Iya commented. Closing his eyes and folding his hands, he added "I know if I had to learn that my own understanding of a sword that was given to me was shown that I didn't know much about my sword, I'd be surprised and disappointed with myself."

Nodding, Totosai brought the sword up for inspection before laying it back down and breathing fire onto it once more. Striking it again with his hammer, he replied "I know. I think that experience taught Inuyasha that he didn't know nearly the first thing about his sword. Anyways, with the help of Kagome, he managed to get Tetsusaiga back, but was badly wounded from the battle. Still, he struggled on and healed eventually."

"Good to hear." Iya replied while opening his eyes once more and smiling. "Was that the end of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha fighting?"

"Heh, one could only wish. Not long after that little incident, Sesshomaru tracked me down and began pushing me to make him a sword. To escape him, I ran to Inuyasha for protection."

Chuckling, Iya asked "Well, how did that turn out?"

"Not well." Totosai flatly said. "Upon meeting him, I realized he didn't have a clue on how to use the Tetsusaiga. He didn't understand it's true power. Sesshomaru showed up while I was there, and the two fought. During the fight, Sesshomaru blinded Inuyasha with his poison, which was the best thing he could have done. Being blinded, Inuyasha managed to smell the Wind Scar, thus learning how to use it. He sliced at the Wind Scar and struck Sesshomaru, who was saved by Tenseiga."

"Tenseiga actually saved him?" Iya asked in a bit of shock.

Nodding, Totosai replied "Yep, it did. I was shocked myself. After that, I left the group."

"Well, at least Inuyasha got on the right path." Iya happily said.

Breathing fire onto the sword once more, the old man nodded, saying "Yep, but the next time I saw the fool, I swear, I was so sad!"

"What could have made you sad old fool?" Ichigo mocked.

Glaring at the orange haired young man, Totosai spat out "You fool, pay me some respect!"

"Whatever…" Ichigo remarked.

"Never mind him Master Totosai. What happened?" Iya asked.

Frowning, Totosai finally said "That damn fool Inuyasha, he fought one of Naraku's incarnations. The demon snapped the Tetsusaiga in half!"

"In half!? How could a demon possibly have the strength to do that!?" Iya questioned.

Scratching his chin for a moment, Totosai finally responded "I'm not sure, but it did. That wasn't the worst part. When this happened, Inuyasha was already badly wounded from a previous battle. Once the demon destroyed the Tetsusaiga, the demon attacked Inuyasha and wounded him badly, nearly killing him. The demon then went to attempt to attack Kagome and the others traveling with them, but before he could, Inuyasha was back up and ripped the demon's arm off. Kagome described to me what happened, telling me Inuyasha transformed into a full demon. In his new form, he easily tore the demon apart, but afterwards, was very unsure of what to do. The lust to kill was still in him, but Kagome managed to calm Inuyasha down."

"That's a relief." Iya mumbled.

"Yeah, it was." Totosai agreed. Crocodile tears instantly sprang from his eyes as he said "Not long after that, Inuyasha brought the pieces of Tetsusaiga to me. Oh my beautiful masterpiece was ruined!"

Sniffling a bit, Totosai pulled the tears back in and cleared his throat. "I immediately reforged the Tetsusaiga using Inuyasha's fang. There was a problem with that though. Due that I used his fang to repair the Tetsusaiga, it became heavy to him due that he had yet to achieve a power level equal to your father's."

Frowning, Iya mumbled "That means Inuyasha had to achieve something father didn't then, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did, and that was the problem. Inuyasha continued to lose control of himself due that he couldn't fight well with the Tetsusaiga, plus he would often lose his grip on it. The only thing that could help him regain control was grasping Tetsusaiga, but forcing him to take hold was difficult. Kagome and the others had many difficulties in making him take hold." Totosai explained.

"Eventually, he came to me after an incident where he killed some human bandits that were under the command of a moth demon. After blowing away the moth demon, he killed many of the bandits. Kagome couldn't get him under control either, but Sesshomaru surprisingly stepped in."

"Sesshomaru? Why did he do that?" Iya asked with a touch of shock.

Smirking, the old man replied "I'm guessing he didn't want Inuyasha to die just yet, so he knocked him out. Once he did, Kagome gave him Tetsusaiga, making Inuyasha return to normal. When Inuyasha came to and saw what he had done, he was greatly ashamed of himself and came to me for help. He was tired of transforming, not to mention terrified that he'd kill his comrades next time. So, I told him that there was only one thing left to do. For him to do something his father couldn't do, and I knew of only one thing."

Sighing deeply, Totosai closed his eyes and then slowly reopened them. In a cold voice, he said "To kill Ryuukossei."

Iya simply gasped at the statement. Ichigo, being clueless, asked "Who the hell is Ryuukossei?"

"You've not heard of him!?" Iya asked in a touch of shock.

Shrugging, Ichigo replied "No, I've not. Is he some kind of big shot demon or something?"

"He's the one that nearly defeated my father!" Iya roughly remarked.

Realization hit Ichigo then, making him utter "Oh…"

Staring at the fire across the room, Iya mumbled "It took everything father had to seal that dragon into a deep sleep. The wounds he suffered from the fight nearly killed him, but they did lead him to his death."

"I didn't know. Sorry for asking." Ichigo nonchalantly replied.

Sighing, Iya said "It's alright." Turning his attention to Totosai, he asked "Why did you even suggest Inuyasha do such a thing!?"

"I knew that the only way for Inuyasha to get strong enough to wield the Tetsusaiga was to kill Ryuukossei. There was no other way." Totosai calmly said. "Unfortunately, things didn't to as planned. Naraku interfered and freed Ryuukossei from his slumber. He began fighting with Inuyasha, who eventually was separated from Tetsusaiga. When that happened, well, you can guess from there on what happened to him."

"Another transformation." Ichigo answered.

Nodding, Totosai replied "Yes. He stood a chance with his claws at least, but he wouldn't be able to wield the Tetsusaiga, and it was his only chance to make it lighter. Oddly enough though, Inuyasha managed to take control of his demonic form and took hold of Tetsusaiga once more. Once he did, he revered back to his half demon form, and the Tetsusaiga became light enough to wield. He continued his battle with Ryuukossei, only to soon enough discover he could use the Wind Scar now without finding the place where the demonic winds were scraping together. Still, Ryuukossei was too strong for the Wind Scar. Inuyasha didn't give up though, and in the end, learned a technique that I never thought he could master."

Frowning, Iya thought for a moment before slowly saying "You don't mean the Backlash Wave, do you?"

"Yes, I do. He learned to use it in the midst of battle, and defeated Ryuukossei. That dragon was blown apart and nothing was left of him. Inuyasha did what your father couldn't, which was beat Ryuukossei. That is when I started believing he would move on to learn more about Tetsusaiga."

Pounding the sword once more with his hammer, Totosai laid down his hammer and examined the sword once more. Setting it down, he smiled, saying "Since then, he's only gotten stronger. He managed to learn many a strong techniques and has become quite a young man."

"I see." Iya calmly remarked. "What of Sesshomaru? Did he ever learn to use Tenseiga?"

Nodding, Totosai replied "He did, and eventually I reforged it like I promised I would when he was ready. He eventually lost the strength Tenseiga gained, but found new strength in Bakusaiga, along with a new arm."

Smiling, Iya calmly said "Good to hear."

Standing up, Totosai stretched his back and then handed the sword to Iya, saying "I sharpened Ketsaiga to perfection. It should be more than ready for battle now. I must say, you did a much better job at taking care of your sword than Inuyasha."

Standing up, Iya smiled and placed his sword back in it's sheath. "Thanks."

Turning to Ichigo, Totosai asked "Would you like me to sharpen your sword also?"

"Eh, it's alright." Ichigo replied.

"You sure? It looks like a very nice masterpiece, and it would be a shame to let it grow dull." Totosai pressed.

Thinking for a moment, Ichigo finally said "Sure, why not."

Standing up, Ichigo drew his sword from it's sheath and handed it to Totosai, who examined the blade carefully. "This sword is very familiar in design. Who was it's forger?"

Thinking for a moment, Ichigo finally said "His name is Kisuke Urahara. He forged this sword for my clan many years ago."

"Did you say Kisuke Urahara?" Totosai asked with a bit of shock in his eyes.

Frowning, Ichigo irritably replied "Are you deaf or something!? I said the man's name was Kisuke Urahara! Sheesh, listen carefully next time old man."

"That must mean you're a descendant of the Kurosaki Clan."

"Yeah, I suppose I am." Ichigo nonchalantly replied.

Frowning, Totosai said "But you aren't a full bobcat demon. That much is for sure. Not even half demon I think."

Growling, Ichigo reached out to take hold of his sword, saying "I don't have time for this. Give it back."

Dodging, Totosai continued to examine the blade before sitting down. "Calm down, I'll work on the sword."

Glaring at the old man, Ichigo stormed out of the house, leaving Iya glaring at Totosai.

"Master Totosai, was that really necessary to berate him over his heritage!?" Iya hotly asked.

Blowing fire onto the sword and striking it with his hammer, Totosai replied "I just can't believe a young man like him is a part of the Kurosaki Clan. I mean, what was the leader of the clan thinking…"

Smacking the back of Totosai's head hard enough to cause a small lump to pop up, Iya growled out "Mind your manners Totosai! Ichigo is far stronger than you think he is! His power is nearly equal to my own!"

"That's kind of sad." Totosai stated and earned himself another smack from Iya. "You're acting more like Inuyasha now."

Crossing his arms, Iya roughly remarked "There is good reason for it. Ichigo might not be a full demon, or hell, even a half demon, but he's still strong and a member of the Kurosaki Clan, so treat him with some respect!"

"Fine, fine, I will." Totosai responded while touching his two lumps on his head. "You didn't have to hit me so hard."

"You deserved it." Iya replied while walking out of the house.

Finding Ichigo was missing outside, Iya sighed and began sniffing the air. After a few minutes, he finally picked up his scent and began trailing him. Not five minutes later, Iya finally found Ichigo at a nearby river, tossing stones in.

Hearing Iya, Ichigo growled out "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry for that." Iya said with a heavy sigh. "I had no idea he would say something like that."

Staring out at the water, Ichigo finally replied "It's alright. I just wish everyone who knew of my clan would shut up about how much of a demon I am."

"Don't feel bad." Iya consoled. "I'm only a half demon, and I get it just as badly sometimes. I was lucky when my father lived. He demanded everyone treat me equally, thus I had no problems. Almost all of my clan has and always will I suppose. Of course, with him gone now, I do receive some lip about it sometimes."

Still with his back to Iya, Ichigo said with a touch of sadness in his voice "Yet you're a half demon. I'm just a quarter, thus I barely exist to demons. I'm nearly mixed in with humans."

Putting a comforting hand on Ichigo's shoulder, Iya softly smiled, saying "Trust me, it's better to be what you are than a transformed full demon who is mindless and wishes to do nothing but kill everyone. Besides, at least humans aren't afraid of you, unlike me who has all of them in a panic."

"True, they don't run from me till they find out what I am." Ichigo remarked. Turning, Ichigo flashed a cocky smile. "Thanks Iya."

"You're welcome. Now, let's get back before Totosai melts down your sword for scrap metal." Iya joked.

Snarling, Ichigo rushed forward towards the cave, yelling "That damn fool better not!"

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Upon returning to Totosai's, Ichigo's sword was sharpened and awaiting him. Preparing to leave, Iya said "Thank you for sharpening our swords Master Totosai."

"No problem. I enjoyed getting to see another of my masterpieces return." Totosai replied with a smile.

"Master Totosai, I have something to ask." Iya began lightly.

"Oh, well ask away." Totosai responded.

"Do you know where Sesshomaru might be?"

Frowning, Totosai shook his head, saying "No clue."

Sighing, Iya glanced back at Ichigo. Looking back, he replied "Very well. I guess we have no choice but to travel to Lady Shankoutetsu's castle and ask her for help."

"Are you insane boy!?" Totosai asked with a touch of anger. "That woman hates you and would rather die than tell you anything."

"I know, but I'm to the point I have to go. She would know for sure where Sesshomaru is." Iya remarked.

Bowing lightly, Iya added "Thank you for your help Master Totosai. I hope to see you once more."

Returning the bow, Totosai replied "The honor was mine to help you out. Safe journey to you both."

Ichigo only grunted in reply and Iya waved good bye. Together, the pair walked side by side away from the volcano house.

"So, where to now?" Ichigo asked.

Sighing heavily, Iya mumbled "We're going to have to go visit my half brother's mother. She should know where her son is."

"She nice?" Ichigo smugly asked.

"No…" Iya simply stated. "She's rather unbearable. By the way, she doesn't like me in the least bit."

"That's just great."