Death Be Not Proud

by landofthekwt

Inuyasha and Shiori cling to each other after their spouses die "The Long Goodbye" "Carry On My Wayward Son" and a "Life Well Lived ""The Bravest Man in the World" and "Educating Musushio" are prologues to Death Be Not Proud and an ending to Ten Years After Don't own it or make make money from it

3. In Hoc Signo Vinces

Title In hoc signo vinces (By this sign conquer)

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Prompt Veni, Vidi, Vinci (ib4y)

Word Count 750

Part of Death Be Not Proud (References to Entangled)

Warning mention of character death

Summary Inuyasha returns to his mother's grave with Shiori

Shiori was not happy about the detour, but she did not say anything. She was returning to her village to bury her mother's ashes with her ancestors. If Inuyasha wanted to visit his mother's grave in Kamakura, she would not quarrel with him.

She looked around at the small fishing village. It reminded her of home certainly not like the city of 250,000 which Inuyasha described. He had been six when he left. Not much older than her. His description of that night his mother died was hazy.

A fire burning the town. Waiting at the shrine under the sakura for Sesshoumaru A man killing his mother with a spear. Watching her die in Sesshoumaru's arms. Standing vigil with Sesshoumaru. Watching Sesshoumaru bury her ashes. Bitter words .before he ran off into the night.

Beyond that he was confused. For someone Inuyasha despised Sesshoumaru seemed to come up again and again. She wondered what the story was. It was clear that once they had been close, but his mother's death had caused a rift between that time could not heal.

Inuyasha found her on the beach. Sesshoumaru's directions were confusing. "Follow the main road from the beach to the shrine." were not exactly helpful. It was clear that once there had been

a great city here, but it had been burned again and again. Now it was abandoned except for the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine and the fishing village.

After asking around he finally found the Wakamiya O-ji. Reaching the torii gates he found the raised pathway known as the dankazura flanked by sakura. He began to remember that night. Trancelike he watched the events of that night unfold again before his eyes.

He stood there so long that Shiori finally touched his shoulder .It took a moment for him to realize who she was and where he was. Collecting himself he walked to the small headstone by a sakura near the second torii gate. The kanji "Sixteenth Night" scratched into the weathered stone was still readable.

There was no doubt that this was his mother's final resting place. He was not sure why he had come. Shiori's journey to return her mother's ashes made her want to come here. He was ashamed that he had never returned to the grave site.

He had never come back because remembering her death was simply too painful. What was he supposed to do? Kagome had always said prayers for the dead. It seemed pointless. His mother was not here. Just as Kikyou and Kagome, all that remained of her was her ashes.

Should he beg her forgiveness for what had happened to her?. For not visiting her grave for three hundred years. For never telling her about what happened to him after she died. So many questions.

Shiori nodded as if to reassure him. He started to pray as Kagome had taught him. When he finished he clapped and started to leave several priests came rushing at him yelling "Mononoke" Soldiers and pilgrims were right behind them. Things could get ugly

He stared at them for a minute, but decided he could not risk Shiori He bent down so that she could get on his back and raced toward the San no Torii exit to the shrine. He finally stopped when he reached the place where the four great roads built by the rulers of .

He hesitated not sure which way to go. Shiori pointed toward the sea. He nodded. It was a good thing she was along since he was not about to ask the priests for directions. He did not stop running until he finally reached the beach.

Flopping down on the beach he stared out into the ocean. His trip to his mother's grave had been a disaster. It reminded him again that he lived in a Japan that did not tolerate any persons of mixed race whether human or youkai.

His mother had died for daring to love a youkai and bearing a hanyou child. Kagome came from a time where halfbreeds were accepted. They has raised their children in a place which tolerated them. Kohaku and Shiori raised their children in the hidden taijiya village.

He and Shiori could not simply run away from their problems. Their children were at risk. He would make sure that they did not have to go through what he and Shiori went would make sure that his mother's death had not been in vain.