Traveling under the last traces of the previous night, just before the moon gives way to the sun, a three-eyed ox can be seen with an old man on its back.
The ox is clearly a kind of yokai beast, it has three eyes instead of two and flames adorn its hooves, while the old man does not seem very different from a normal one, so much so that he is even somewhat bald.
"I hope you're not lying to me with these two accounts, old Myoga. A strong warrior who has managed to master the Steel Fang, in addition to someone capable of using the Souga"
Scratching his bald head that would surely shine under sunlight, the old man suddenly turns his head back with a bit of panic in his expression, although in the end he sighs and fixes his eyes on the small figure accompanying him.
Such a figure was a humanoid flea, also elderly and dressed in a traditional manner. Myoga, as he is known, jumps from the ox onto the old man's shoulder easily, before starting to chatter.
"He's not just any strong warrior, Totosai! He is Master Inuyasha. As for the second… I don't know much, I only observed it from afar"
"Ahh, you're crazy, Myoga! Do you know how much Souga hates us, and now you almost made me run straight to him!"
"Stop being a coward, Totosai. I tell you he was fine, or would you rather stay waiting for Sesshōmaru?"
"You know as well as I do that no one is ever 'fine' with Souga, much less some stranger"
Pulling the ponytail that hangs from the back of his skull, the only trace of hair on his shiny bald head, Totosai quickly lets it go upon realizing what he did unconsciously.
"He wasn't some unknown yokai, I could feel the power of a Daiyokai in him… Although it was somewhat strange"
"That makes it even worse! Souga with the body of a powerful demon? We're finished, with the noose around our neck, at the edge of the cliff!"
"Calm down already, Totosai! Master Inuyasha is there, there won't be any problem"
Raising his small head proudly, the yokai flea shamelessly praises Inuyasha, finally managing to calm Totosai.
"Inu… Inuyasha… I remember now! He's the son of that mythical dog who gave me one of his fangs to forge a sword, who later had two very strange sons… Right?"
"That's the one, Sesshōmaru's half-brother on his father's side"
"Of him! Then I have no doubts, he must be very strong"
Looking toward the horizon with shining eyes, as if he had found the answer to all his problems, Totosai pats the ox's rear and makes it increase its speed.
"Of course he is, his father is the great Inu no Taisho!"
…Elsewhere…
Outside the "haunted forest" where no one wanted to stay a second longer, near a river and in the middle of what seems to be a plain, a camp can be seen.
Well, perhaps calling it a "camp" was too much, it barely had a fire already completely extinguished and some people talking around it.
"Why the hell are you still here!"
Finally exploding, the half-dog boy dressed in red points at the golden-haired young man, drawing everyone's attention.
"Kagome let me stay, Inuyasha"
Passing the "ball" to Kagome without shame, Asahiko absolves himself of everything and nibbles on the freshly cooked fish.
"Kagome!"
"Yes, Inuyasha?"
"You, you, why did you let him stay!"
Shouting like a savage, and even letting pieces of fish come out of his mouth, Inuyasha quickly calms down after being hit on the head with Miroku's staff.
"Shut up already, mangy dog! Can't you see the decision has already been made!"
"Shippo… Since when do you even have a vote, runt!"
"Ahhh, help, Kagome!"
"Inuyasha, down, down… Down!"
Burying poor Inuyasha until his body disappears under the ground, Kagome takes Shippo in her arms and begins to gently scold him.
"Inuyasha never learns"
"In fact, Your Excellency"
Nodding mutually between Miroku and Sango, they only give Inuyasha a look of pity and continue with their business, showing that this is already a very normal routine in this group.
"You all… Have you forgotten that he is our enemy!"
"Enemy? He saved us last night"
"I… think he is trustworthy"
"Kyu?"
Looking at all the "traitors," from the perverted monk to Shippo who is firmly the group's pet, along with the small yokai cat, Inuyasha resorts to his trump card… Kagome.
"Ka, Kagome… Are you with—"
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. But he will only stay with us until he finds Kikyo, so you don't have to worry!"
Giving him support but at the same time not, Kagome manages to make Inuyasha happy for a few moments, although that ends with a simple whisper.
"Tsk, classic dog behavior when a new and better one arrives"
"You… You… Draw your sword and fight!"
"Inuyasha, down!"
"¡Agh!"
Shaking their heads since Inuyasha does not seem to understand the situation, Kagome takes pity and tries to approach him, but suddenly dark clouds cover the sky and a powerful lightning bolt heads toward them.
That was certainly strange, but even stranger was the sound accompanying the lightning as it fell… A moo?
"A cow?"
"A lightning bolt?"
"Uh… It's coming toward us—"
*Boom*
Silencing Asahiko who seemed to be the only one worried, literally a lightning bolt was falling toward all of them, the dust disperses and reveals something interesting.
First there was a reflective bald head, then an old man with a somewhat foolish face and beneath him, showing who made the *Mooo*, there is a three-eyed ox.
"…Member of your group, Inuyasha?"
"Why the hell would he be"
"Is he looking at you?"
Pointing at the old man while stating the obvious, Asahiko grabs the hilt of Souga as he sees the old man's cheeks suddenly puff up.
"I am Totosai, so now draw your sword!"
"Who do you think—"
"No? Then I'll do it myself!"
Swinging the black iron hammer pulled from somewhere during his shouting, Totosai jumps off the ox with unexpected speed, forcing Inuyasha to defend himself with Steel Fang.
Incredibly, and against all expectations, the one sent flying backward was Inuyasha, but even stranger is that Steel Fang begins to tremble from the blow, surprising everyone present.
"It still hasn't reached the proper resonance, but it seems what I was told wasn't just stories"
"Ridiculous old man… How dare you!"
Taking control of the sword, Inuyasha shifts from a static position to an attacking one, charging straight forward. Seeing that, Totosai does not retreat, but instead pulls out a piece of leather from inside his clothes and stops Steel Fang easily.
"He stopped it!"
"With a piece of leather, Your Excellency!"
"That was… Embarrassing"
Having moved behind Totosai without raising suspicion, Asahiko is also surprised by what he just saw. He has fought against Inuyasha, he knows how tough he is and even so he was stopped just like that by a piece of leather.
"Look at the shameful state it's in, it shows you don't take care of it after using it. Tsk, tsk, what an absolute waste"
"How dare you—"
"Hahaha, he's even rubbing the blade"
Mocking Inuyasha but drawing Souga without hesitation, Asahiko is surprised again when Totosai jumps to the side, demonstrating incredible senses.
"So, Souga!"
"Heh, part of your team, Asahiko?"
"Do I look like a beautiful priestess to you, dog? If so, wash your eyes, animal"
"Grr, I'll kill you and then him!"
Shifting his anger from Totosai to Asahiko, he almost doesn't hesitate and jumps toward the latter, but a single glance from Kagome calms him completely.
That was good, because after a moment, a yokai flea appears before everyone and finally clears up who the old man is.
"Ahem, ahem. Master Inuyasha, I must say that your blood is of a— Agh…"
"Tsk, damn filthy flea. I hope you have a good excuse, Myoga"
"I do, I do, Master Inuyasha"
Inflating his body which until a second ago was flattened to the thickness of a sheet, Myoga comes back to life as if nothing and starts talking rapidly.
But while that happens and draws everyone's attention there, a hunched figure tries to sneak away unseen. The thing is, there was someone on his back from before, Asahiko, so his great plan was actually as clear as crystal.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Ha, haha… Souga, how has life treated you? I see well, new user, good body… Your future is bright like a summer sun it seems"
Squirming under Asahiko's foot in an attempt to escape, he had even abandoned his ox, Totosai looks at Souga and speaks to it like an old friend.
[Better than you think, cowardly old man. I'm even considering not tearing you apart alive, despite having you right in front of me]
"That's good, very good… I always knew you were someone rational"
[And yet I ended up in a pit?]
"I had voted to leave you in Sesshōmaru's hands, it was Myoga and Saya who refused. Now look at that boy, crazy for me to make him a sword, by the way… Where is Saya?"
Stopping his attempts to escape, having noticed it was impossible and that everyone's attention was on him again, Totosai tries to change the subject.
"Here, Totosai, listening to everything you say"
"Huh?"
"The bald old man fainted, Kagome!"
Raising his shrill voice, Shippo points at Totosai who now looks like a corpse under Asahiko's sole, before approaching along with Kirara and tapping his arm several times.
"What are you saying, Shippo?"
"Stiff as a rock, Miroku"
"So he's just acting, Your Excellency?"
"It seems so"
All of them playing with poor Totosai who remains motionless, they let time pass, evaporating the last traces of discomfort from the previous night.