InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dogs in Tokyo ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter 13

Jukuryo looked at Sesshoumaru and had to rapidly realign a number of assumptions he had made about certain business dealings in the very recent past. If a descendant of the Nishigawa family wished to sell, that was one thing, but here was the head of the clan himself. Apparently none the worse for five centuries of wear…'Lucky bastard.'

"Please, sit down." He gestured courteously to the seats facing his desk and took his place behind it. He glanced at Sesshoumaru's business card again as if to verify its contents and lined it up squarely before him on the blotter.

Sesshoumaru accepted the offered chair gracefully. "I have intruded upon you in search of someone whom we both know."

"A-ah? And who might that be?"

"A young woman; Murakami Ryosei. She's acting as your personal assistant, I believe." He studied the paperweight on the desk as he spoke.

Jukuryo took off his eyeglasses and polished them in an attempt to cover his puzzlement. "I'm sorry to say she has not reported to work today. We tried several times to contact her by phone without result."

"I see, we may have a mutual problem then." Sesshoumaru shifted his attention to a delicately avant-garde print on the wall above Jukuryo's left shoulder. "She's recently been having dealings with an untrustworthy associate of mine. He's the actual focus of my inquiry. For a long time this particular youkai enjoyed my confidence and carried a certain item for me that now seems to have disappeared with him. His association with Ryosei seems to have been closer than I anticipated and now they have both disappeared with the item." Sesshoumaru shifted slightly in his seat. He was finding this admission unpleasant. "I have a great interest in recovering that item and finding that youkai."

Jukuryo finished fiddling with his glasses and placed them back on his face. "The human girl doesn't matter then?"

"Not much." was the reply but Jukuryo did not miss the clenching of his visitor's fingers as he said it. He did not think that this Inuyoukai took anyone crossing him well at all and that the girl was in as much trouble as the errant youkai.

He cleared his throat, bringing Sesshoumaru's attention back to his face. "And what is the nature of this missing item? Does it have distinguishing characteristics? We will need a sample of its base material and youki to locate it."

"It is a staff with a male and a female mask as its head. It is very old and unique. I cannot give you a sample of its youki but I assure you it is in everyone's best interest that it be returned to me as soon as possible." Sesshoumaru considered what he had just said and expanded it a bit. "That, in addition to the youkai who now carries it."

Jukuryo clasped his hands before him and studied this powerful but, apparently young, youkai lord before him. He truly represented a mystery. He was unquestionably the Nishigawa Sesshoumaru that he had seen as a barely fledgling chick. That fact alone would make him half a millennium old. But, appearance aside, this was no creature with five hundred years of experience under his belt, steely exterior or no. 'Really,' he decided to himself, 'life is wasted on the young.' The thought warmed him in an obscure manner.

"Well, it is true that my family and I specialize in collecting items. I suppose we could search for this troublesome thing for you and let you know where it is." He paused and looked in a measured manner at the powerful creature before him.

'There is truly no change.' He mused. 'Not the faintest sign of age after five centuries.' This monster before him should be ancient. But he was by all appearances barely reaching his prime. Noting a flicker of restlessness, Jukuryo continued.

"We can do this but I will need an item from the youkai who has it in his possession if I cannot get something associated with the staff itself."

Sesshoumaru nodded and reached into an inner pocket of his suit. "Will this do?" He inquired, flicking a small black scrap of cloth across the desk.

Jukuryo caught it and turned it about, leaning back in his chair to catch the light on the worn cloth better. It had not been treated well and certainly not worn in some time but the shape of it was unmistakable; it was a miniature nobleman's hat. Sized to fit the head of a large doll, it nevertheless showed signs of use. The starch that had stiffened it was all gone now but merely touching it brought a sharp memory of when he had seen the like before.

"You will forgive a old man his wanderings, but this puts me in mind of the day you came to visit my esteemed father, back in the mountains." He lifted his eyes and looked directly at his visitor. "I am correct am I not? The son of the Nishigawa-Sama came on a visit over an old dispute."

The room was still, to be filled by the dry chuckle of the ancient youkai. "I must commend you upon your excellent state of preservation. That land dispute is far in the past and I am beyond such considerations as to who owns what barren scrap of hillside. Pish, I don't even remember the rights of it. But I remember you, my lord, and you haven't changed a hair."

Jukuryo smiled, feeling the other's youki rise around him. "Relax, sir. As I said, those days are long past. I will look for this Staff of Heads for you for old times sake. To see you reminds me of what it was like to be young." He rose, indicating the interview was over. And accompanied his guest to the door.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Sesshoumaru stopped. "I am negligent," said the old youkai, "I meant to inquire after your family. The name doesn't seem to be gone after all. I was reminded of your clan only recently."

With a long breath Sesshoumaru turned to regard this most annoying old creature. "I have no remaining family in this time."

Jukuryo blinked. "No? No, herm, possibly human branches?" A pause, "I must be mistaken." He smiled beatifically. "Old age you know. Such a trouble to those who suffer it." Straitening his face he spoke briskly. "Now, I must not detain you longer. I'm sure you must be very busy, as must I. You shall have your staff back and your errant retainer to do with as you wish. My guarantee upon it."

Sesshoumaru gave the briefest of nods and stepped from Jukuryo's inner chamber to the anteroom where his men were. That communications problem was going to have to be handled. If another powerful youkai's influence could be used to interrupt radio waves then his network of underlings wasn't going to be as useful as he had hoped.

Emerging from the discrete doorway he was arrested by the sight of what occupied the pedestal that the businessmen had been gathered around when he came in. It was a sculpture of a horse done in glazed pottery in the 'High Tang' style of the 8th century. It was black with a white mane and a green woven saddlecloth and he knew it to be one of a pair. He snapped his head around to the store manger and waved his hand at the horse. "How long have you had this item?"

The manager nodded deferentially, "It only arrived this morning as part of a lot of goods, the only Chinese item in it. The rest are excellent Hein-era antiquities but not really quite up to the quality or age of this piece. It must have been actually bought as an antiquity by its first Japanese owner."

Sesshoumaru gazed at the fool expressionlessly, "It was. Enter a bid for me."

"Sir?"

"Top whatever amount offered by a thousand until close of preliminary bidding. My card." He brought out yet another of the small pieces of pasteboard so ubiquitous in Japan. "Call my agent. I trust that information on provenance is documented at the time of sale."

"Yes sir. However, this seller wishes to remain anonymous. One of the old shrine families you know." The manager was apologetic and jumped when he heard the faint, low rumble of a growl.

Sesshoumaru thrust the card at the startled attendant and strode out of the building into the early evening air. He breathed in deeply as he re-entered his car; his attendants took their places silently, too well trained to interrupt him in a time of annoyance.

"Inuyasha." The name was a thorn in his side. He had never returned to verify what precisely the misbegotten whelp had done with the Shikon-no-Tama. It had seemed enough to consolidate his hold over the land and then to follow up with his own search for gates to other worlds. He had gotten a dizzying glimpse of the young miko's world before the last battle with Naraku and was hungry to find his own way to it. True, the place that he had seen had been a shrine. It had been on top of a small mount surrounded by this teeming city. But that could have been anywhere, anytime, in 20th century Tokyo.

He had never found a trace of Inuyasha until now. He dropped his eyes to the hands held so carefully still in his lap. There was no question though. The horse in Jukuryo's showroom proved it. He well remembered the day that his father had brought the beautiful pair of horses home and his burning shame and resentment as they were divided between the households of himself and his brother. His father's laughing dismissive voice echoed in his mind. "Let the pup have the black one, he seems to like it well enough. You shall have the roan to place in your house."

"But that baby will only break it father."

"So? I say he shall have it. These horses are brothers as you are and I expect you to remember it."

There was simply no way some distant, mostly human, descendant of Inuyasha's could have access to Inuyasha's own house and treasures. No, the miscreant who was selling his family's heirlooms had to be Inuyasha himself.

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A/N

Short chapter, I know. Having written it and read it over a few times I ended up feeling it stood better alone. Please review and let me know your thoughts. Heh, that gives me control of your minds…Hey!…What do you mean I was still dictating? Stop that!