After flying for what could easily have been hours, so many that the green of the grass had been replaced by the brown and gray of the rocks, Inuyasha together with Asahiko finally spotted Totosai's "house" in the distance.
The "house" was a damn volcano, and not in a metaphorical sense, but rather the ox was literally taking them toward the long column of smoke rising from a nearby volcano, and on top of it a sort of structure could be seen.
"It kind of makes sense that it's the right place since he's a blacksmith, but at the same time it doesn't. What do you think, Inuyasha?"
Looking at the structure built on top of the volcano, mainly made of pale bones and which remained safe thanks to the lava having hardened, Asahiko turns his face toward his traveling companion.
The latter for a few moments seems to consider something important, though in the end he resorts to the simplest explanation and probably the truth of the matter.
"Totosai is a coward, he probably chose this place only so he wouldn't be found by some random yokai or Sesshōmaru."
"The worst part is that you're probably right."
"Of course I am, he's just like Myoga, a textbook coward."
Letting out a final snort after mentioning that "traitorous" flea, Inuyasha slaps the ox's neck with his palm and the animal begins descending toward the volcano in front of them.
Against all expectations, the ox does not land in front of Totosai's house, but instead its four burning hooves touch "ground" closer to the center of the volcano, then it lets out a tired Mooo.
"Are you kidding? It was only a few more meters, you could've just glided over there and left us beside it."
"Mooo."
"No, it's not being lazy, it's telling the truth to your face."
"Moo. MOO."
Letting out a kind of burning air from its nostrils, the ox strikes the volcanic ground with its four hooves and fixes its eyes on Asahiko.
Fortunately, looks can't kill anyone in this world, otherwise Asahiko would have already died dozens of times by now and would be watching the grass grow from underneath it... But well, that's life.
"Are you done playing with the animal yet?"
"Wow, show some respect, it brought us here safely and in one piece, man."
Punching Inuyasha on the shoulder, something he does not appreciate at all, Asahiko easily dodges the counterattack and continues forward until he reaches the entrance.
Such a thing doesn't really exist, literally the house is the corpse of an enormous creature and seems to extend into the depths. Perhaps this monster used to live inside the volcano?
"Totosai! Come out already, you old coward!"
"Will he really do it just because it's you? No, you didn't even say your name or anything... By now he's probably hidden in some hole."
"Tsk, old coward. Let's go deeper inside."
Leading the way after accepting that Asahiko's words are correct, Inuyasha follows the semi-solid veins of lava that illuminate the surroundings and slowly ventures into the depths.
The place was not very welcoming for humans, to say the least. The volcanic stone corridors emit a suffocating heat, the air is stagnant, and the stones on the ground are scorching hot. The entire place was a damn oven that could easily cook any human in seconds!
"Come out already, damn it, Totosai!"
"Haa, I guess your race is a companion dog and not a hunting dog, Inuyasha. You have to be subtle... Gentle as the kiss of a newlywed. Cough, cough, INUYASHA BROKE Steel Fang!"
¡BOOOOM!
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"KYAAA!" x2
Giving each other a bear hug when they see a pair of muscular arms burst through the wall—literally a pair of arms tearing through the wall as if it were paper—both Asahiko and Inuyasha look each other in the eyes.
That scream was not "manly" at all, so both cough at the same time, silently promise to forget it, and then open their mouths again to let out a "Aahh", 100% manly scream!.
"You... What did you say about Steel Fang?!"
"He's a loose end, Asahiko."
"Yeah, he knows what happened..."
"Wait, get away from— Aah!"
...Some time later...
Now calmed down and gathered around what appears to be a table made of volcanic stone, one can see Inuyasha with his eyes rolled back, Totosai with a huge bump on his head, and Asahiko wearing an innocent expression.
"How can this be... Steel Fang has been broken."
Running his fingers over the two pieces of Steel Fang as if he were a small child, Totosai's eyes fill with tears and he begins muttering to himself.
It was an expected reaction to the destruction of his greatest creation, together with Sacred Fang, one which had remained safe for centuries with Inu no Taisho and which the idiot Inuyasha broke in a matter of weeks.
"Stop exaggerating! Swords break, that's the most natural thing in the world."
"Normal swords break, Steel Fang doesn't! It's a legendary weapon, it can wipe out dozens of yokai in a single strike, absorb part of the power of the demons it defeats, seal your demon blood... And you... You just broke it!"
"Wow, what's that about powers—"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN Steel Fang SEALS MY DEMON BLOOD?!"
Shoving Asahiko aside, who seemed interested in the properties that had just been mentioned, Inuyasha throws his entire body across the table and grabs Totosai by the neck with one hand.
The situation causes Totosai to turn pale instantly. He is a coward, but before he can play dead or do something similar, Asahiko knocks Inuyasha away with a blow.
"Calm down and let him explain. Afterward, if you want, you can beat him up until you're satisfied."
"Grr, start talking, Totosai!"
"A-alright, alright, just calm down, boy..."
Stopping his cowardly act for a few moments, Totosai scratches his completely bald head except for the ponytail he has, before letting out a heavy sigh.
"As you already know, the very day you were born was the day your father died from battle wounds, leaving behind the three swords of conquest and their eventual inheritance."
"Tsk, that's why I only had my mother."
"During that succession it was decreed that Clouded Fang was too dangerous, so Saya would make it disappear into an old and mysterious well."
Pointing at the sword hanging from Asahiko's waist as he says those words, and also at Saya who had appeared at some point, Totosai continues speaking.
"But that left us with two swords and two sons, the elder Sesshōmaru, a pure-blood demon, and the newborn half-demon known as Inuyasha only through rumors."
"And then?"
"We debated for quite a long time, but in the end it was decided that Sacred Fang would go to Sesshōmaru, modified so it could not cut, and Steel Fang to the newborn, modified to seal his demonic blood."
"But I didn't get the sword until recently, how do you explain that?"
Cleaning his ear with the nail of his little finger as if Totosai's story were falling apart on its own, Inuyasha wears a smug expression and smiles in satisfaction.
"Saya did it while you were a baby, he's very good with seals."
"What?!"
"Calm down, young Inuyasha. If we hadn't done it, you would have been a danger to yourself and to your mother... The blood of a great Daiyokai like Inu no Taisho can easily control a young mind!"
"...And now what happens?"
Grinding his teeth at Saya's certainly accurate words—he had felt how savage that demonic blood was—Inuyasha looks at the pieces of Steel Fang and mutters quietly.
"You'll have to learn to control your emotions until I can reforge Steel Fang. Any small spark can activate your demon blood now that it is free from the seal."
"Good luck with that, Inuyasha can barely go a day without getting into a new problem. Saya, can't you just put another seal on him or something?"
"I wish I could help young Asahiko. But my power has diminished with age, and it continuously spends energy maintaining the seal on Tokijin."
Stroking the long white beard that reaches beyond his chest, Saya shakes his head and his small floating body drifts aimlessly around the area.
"I'm not a child, I can control myself!"
"Yeah, yeah, Inuyasha. Whatever you say."
"You bastard, you think I'm— Ahh, what are you doing?!"
"I needed a new fang to reforge Steel Fang, and since it's yours it'll be more effective at sealing your demonic blood."
Completely ignoring the new bump growing on his head, Totosai carefully examines the fang he had pulled out of Inuyasha with a pair of tongs and explains his reasoning.
"Grr, when will it be ready?"
"Ah, children. Your fang was still green, perhaps in two or three days? But I warn you, the sword won't—"
"Whatever, I just want it back. I don't want to ever... Tsk."
"Ha, ha, ha, things got very serious all of a sudden. By the way, Sacred Fang doesn't cut anything, Steel Fang seals demonic blood, so does that mean Clouded Fang is the one that wasn't modified?"
Changing the subject after noticing how heavy the atmosphere had become, mainly because of Inuyasha remembering what he did that night, Asahiko opens his eyes wide when he notices the sudden silence.
Something strange was happening. Totosai was looking away, Saya had already hidden himself, and even Souga's presence had suddenly disappeared.
"What. Did. You. Do. To. My. Sword?!"
"Nothing, it wasn't us, it was Master Inu no Taisho!"
"Souga, anything to say?"
[...It really was that man. He broke off a piece of the jewel in which my soul resides, a jewel embedded in the hilt, and created an artifact called the 'Black Pearl'.]
Surprisingly backing up Totosai, Souga's voice emerges from the sword and shares a small piece of information from centuries ago.
"And what effects does it have? Stop laughing, Inuyasha!"
"Sorry..."
[Nothing very important, it merely grants its bearer the ability to use my power to open gates to the underworld, command the yokai within it, and reinforce the barriers between planes.]
"Why do I feel like that last part is extremely important? No, just tell me where that artifact is now."
Shaking his head to drive away the little voice telling him "trouble ahead, trouble ahead," Asahiko takes Clouded Fang and positions it in front of himself.
"Souga, maybe not—"
"SHUT UP, TOTOSAI!"
[The one who possesses the 'Black Pearl' is Inu no Taisho's lover, the mother of his eldest son and a powerful dog Daiyokai.]
"...Sesshōmaru's mother?"
Looking at Inuyasha with his blue eyes, the same sentence echoes through both of their minds... Damn, I'm/he's screwed!