Title Coeur De Leon
Author landofthekwt
Rating M
Prompt Running Away (At First Tweak)
Even Zombies Need Love
Word Count 1934
Warning none
Summary Sesshoumaru find courage
They were gone. The question was where were they Sometime Doctor Flora and Doctor Hitomi had managed to slip away from the Sunset Shrine. Right under Sesshoumaru's nose. Neither Kagome nor Sesshoumaru had a clue where they had gone.
It was only Souta who retraced their steps tracking them on the computer. Their searches no matter how deleted could be retrieved by the right computer geek. Souta was just the man for the job.
He found searches dealing with the history of Setsuma in the 1300's. Archeological sites in Kyushu were cataloged systematically. Genealogy sites were used to trace a certain Shimazu princess who vanished mysteriously after her fiancé died in a fire which destroyed his castle.
Souta could bring up the sites, but he could not understand what the evidence meant. Why would the professors be looking for a castle that burned in Setsuma in the 1300's. Why were they tracing the genealogies of Shimazu and Setsuma. Why the interest in the vanished princess?
Kagome could only shrug. She had heard some of the stories when they dealt with Sounga. The princess was obviously Izayoi. The castle was Takemaru's. It was place where the Inu no Taisho passed from the earth. She had seen his final resting spot. He was still in his armor. Tessaiga had been there. Could something have been left behind in the castle?
Kagome watched Souta review the pairs travel plans. Tickets were purchased for the Tohkaido Shinkanansen departing from Tokyo and ending at Kagoshima on the Kyushu Shinkansen Arrangements were made to join a tour group of Setsuma castles. Kagome noted that the itinerary included the one belonging to Takemaru.
They had several days head start. Most likely they were already in Kyushu. Only Sesshoumaru could catch them now. He needed to be told. Maybe he knew something about what the pair were looking for in Setsuma.
She found Sesshoumaru sitting under Goshinboku. staring at Inuyasha. Why would Sesshoumaru have such interest in Inuyasha? He had always hated him. It was only her pleading inside Naraku that had prevented Sesshoumaru from killing Inuyasha.
Only once had he shown any concern for Inuyasha. Even then he nearly killed him with Tokujin. Not a kind word had ever been said between the two of them. Why was Sesshoumaru making so much of an effort to save Inuyasha now?
"Sesshoumaru. I need to talk to you."
Sesshoumaru looked up at her " What do you need, Higurashi?'
"Are we back to that?"
"You disturbed me. What do you need?"
Kagome handed the printouts that Souta had assembled and thrust them into Sesshoumaru's hands. Sesshoumaru looked at her quizzically.
"What is this?"
"It seems that our esteemed colleagues have taken a powder. They tried to cover their tracks, but Souta was able to find out where they went. I still have no clue what they are looking for."
Sesshoumaru browsed through the papers which Kagome handed to him. His brows raised when he saw where they had gone. It brought so many memories of that night. The night he had failed his father and Izayoi. Did he do it out of jealousy or spite?
His father still would have died even if he had not gone. He was glad that his father had gone. Izayoi was saved for himself. With his father gone Izayoi had welcomed him into her arms though not into her heart. He had taken what she offered greedily in the time they had together
Somewhere in the papers was a clue to what Flora and Hitomi were after. They had received a clue about the next piece of the puzzle. The last piece had been hidden in Flora's book. Perhaps this time something lay within the computer.
"Were there any website that they frequented most often?"
"Those dealing with Camacari era poetry"
Sesshoumaru walked to the house. The computer revealed what he had expected it to reveal. The passages dealing with Murasaki from the tales of Genji. He was particularly intrigued by the fact that Genji had a child with Murasaki the girl he had kidnapped and raised as his own. But the world thought she had that child with the Emperor. Only they knew the truth.
Sesshoumaru put his head in his hands. Nearly eight hundred years, but the truth was finally being revealed. Somehow they had found a clue in these passages of something that he had hidden. He had concealed the truth even from his father.
Did Izayoi know? If she did know, could she have committed something so delicate to writing. He was certain that his father did not know.. How could he be so sure? The only way to know for sure He had to follow up on this lead.
Gathering up Kagome he flew to the south with alarming speed. The castle ruins had only recently been excavated. The flames had destroyed nearly everything. The idea that something so delicate could have survived the flames was inconceivable..
When he reached the castle site, he stopped on the mountain overlooking the castle just as his father. His father had the courage that he lacked. He had been willing to sacrifice his life for Izayoi and Inuyasha. What had he done? Slunk away and pouted. Was it because his father claimed Izayoi the woman he loved as his that he had been willing to let her and her son die out of anger at his father
He caught his breath. Kagome was staring at him. The site was just closing. They would have to work in the dark and hope that the archeologists had not already found what they were looking for.
Correction what he was looking for.
He was not disappointed that Flora and Hitomi were no longer there. If they had been he would have killed his promise to Kagome notwithstanding. Hurtling down the mountain in the dark Kagome riding his fluff was exhilarating.
The woman needed a good scare She never really respected the power of a daiyoikai. He remembered standing up to him with sword in hand, bow and arrow at ready and lying on top of youkaiInuyasha calling him baka. Who was stupid now?
He was surprised that he could not scent Izayoi. Eight hundred years should not matter. It should still be there. Instead , he would have to follow the academics scent. They would lead him to the Holy Grail.
Kagome watched him scent the air and then take off. She remembered what Heian Castles looked like from her history class, The government had done a good job with restoration for tourism while archeologists to continue their work. The place where Flora and Hitomi had worked was as plain as day. She imagined that their credentials had dazzled the locals who allowed them to work the site without supervision..
"They were here. They found what they were looking for and left"
Kagome nodded. Sesshoumaru had given her no clue about what they were looking for. She knew the clue was hidden in the Tale of Genji, but for the life of her she did not know how that related to the activities of the professors. All she could hope was that Sesshoumaru knew what he was doing.
He trailed them to the Castle Park Hotel in Kagoshima. No doubt the criminals were relaxing in
the hotels onsen. relishing their victory. They would be lucky to escape with their lives. What they had taken might be worth a fortune, but it was priceless. The only reason they were now alive was that he needed them to tell him where it was.
If he knew them, they were relaxing in the hot springs. He checked in. For the price he determined that Mr and Mrs John Smith had indeed charged a penthouse suite to Edo University. He and Kagome changed and headed off to the onsen. Flora and Hitomi were shocked to see him. They assumed that no one could trace them. How could one even know where they were going?
"Where is it?"
Dr. Hitomi expressed outrage " You can't deny the world that 14th century scroll. It is one of kind."
Sesshoumaru steamed the water with his dokkasou. " Is it worth more than your lives?"
Dr. Hitomi looked at Dr. Flora who threw Sesshoumaru the hotel safety deposit key from around her neck. Kagome sighed a breath of relief. She had no doubt that Sesshoumaru would have killed them if they had refused. Now she was as eager to see what was inside the box as they were.
After changing they took the box back to Sesshoumaru's suite. Sesshoumaru examined the box. The box contained Izayoi's crest and Shimazu crest. There was no doubt in his mind what it contained, just as he was just as sure the contents should never see the light of day. The time for courage was long past. Whatever Izyaoi had said to her pillow eight hundred years ago should remain a secret.
While he wished that she would say that she loved him, he was just as sure that the scroll contained a confession of her love for his father. Just as he could not face that truth eight hundred years ago, he was not prepared to face it now.
To the consternation of the professors, Sesshoumaru used his claws to break the seals. Still they were all on the edge of their seats awaiting the opening of the box. To the professors shock and dismay, the box contained only dust. Apparently eight hundred years in the ground was too much for a 14th century scroll.
Sesshoumaru closed the box. He still had a decision to make. Somehow he had hoped that Izyaoi had found the courage to say what needed to be said in her Pillow Book. That option was now dust in the wind. He was just as sure as the Professors that the box was one of the keys to reviving Inuyasha. Now it was up to him to find the courage to do what he should have done eight hundred years ago.
The train trip back seemed to last forever. It was an overnight trip, but Sesshoumaru would not allow the professors out of his sight. Kagome was allowed to use the sleeper. She did not have the heart to do what needed to be done if the pair ran again.
When they reached the shrine, the professors returned to their rooms, but only after promises that they would never run away again or take any artifacts not belonging to them. Sesshoumaru made a solemn threat that if they failed to keep their promises that he would make sure that they would end their miserable lives dissolved by his dokkasou.
Kagome watched him approach Goshinboku. and Inuyasha. He hesitated. She walked up behind him and touched his shoulder.
" I am sure that Izayoi would want Inuyasha to hear what you have to say or she would not have written her Pillow Book to keep her secrets."
Sesshoumaru strode forward and placed the box inside Inuyasha's haori. Izayoi's box and its contents really belonged to her son. There remained one last duty to perform. One which said aloud would change everything. He looked back at Kagome. She encouraged him to proceed, but respected his privacy. He leaned over and whispered in Inuyasha's ear
"I am your father."
That was the easy part even though it took him eight hundred years to find the courage to say it. Now he needed to find the courage to act like a father