InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Book of Shikon ❯ An Avid Collector ( Chapter 7 )

The Book of Shikon

 

Chapter 7

 

An Avid Collector

 

“Bonjour.” The valet said, tipping his hat as Inuyasha walked inside. He ignored him and headed to the front desk. The man looked up and smiled.

 

“Ah, Mr. Taisho, welcome back.” The clerk said. Inuyasha smiled. He had done business in Paris before, and he always came to this hotel. Myoga wasn't quite as crooked as he was, but he could do some useful things as hotel clerk for a couple bucks. “I'm sorry Inuyasha, but we're currently booked full for a month.” Myoga sighed. Inuyasha nodded and shook Myoga's hand.

 

“Well let me know if something opens.” He said, releasing Myoga's hand. “And I will be back in a few hours.” Myoga looked down at the bill in his hand and nodded.

 

“Of course.” He said, waving. Inuyasha nodded and walked out of the hotel, knowing the address from Midoriko's biography. He hailed a cab and climbed in.

 

“665 Horai Street.” He told the driver, slamming the door.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Inuyasha looked over a bronze plaque next to the door of Kaede's apartment complex. In both French and English it displayed Kaede's name and forbid anyone entry without an appointment. Inuyasha walked inside and waited for the secretary to look up.

 

“Oui?” She asked. Inuyasha cleared his throat.

 

“I'm here to see Kaede Myko, I have an appointment.” He explained. “Inuyasha Taisho.” The secretary typed on her computer and pushed a button under her desk. The steel gate at the bottom of the stairs retracted into the wall.

 

“Go on up.” She said, waving to the stairs. Inuyasha nodded and climbed up them, emerging on the landing of the second floor and pushing the buzzer. The door clicked, and Inuyasha walked in. An elderly woman in a wheelchair and an eyepatch nodded at him as he entered.

 

“Inuyasha Taisho.” She murmured, pushing the control panel of her chair to wheel back from her desk and turn to him.

 

“Baroness Myko.” Inuyasha replied. “Pleasure.”

 

“You are the one I hear about so often.” Kaede mused.

 

“You know me?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“Yes, your name is becoming something of a curse word among collectors. They say you're a lying, cheating, money-grubbing corrupt jackass.”

 

“Well in our profession if people say good things about you then you aren't doing your job.” Inuyasha replied with a grin. He noticed the laptop open on Kaede's desk and frowned. “Did I interrupt something?”

 

“No, I'm just writing my latest book, Devil, Myth and Reality.” Kaede explained.

 

“Why the Devil?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“I saw him one day.” Kaede said simply. “It was summer, I was 15 and playing in my mother's garden. I saw him walk in the gate, stare at me, turn and leave. I saw it as plain as I saw you enter my office. It was love at first site.”

 

“500 years you'd get burned at the stake for that.” Inuyasha chuckled.

 

“500 years ago I wouldn't admit to it.” Kaede countered. “Why are you here Mr. Taisho?”

 

“I'd like to examine one of your books, the Shikon-no-Tama.” Inuyasha explained. Kaede frowned and piloted her chair around the desk to a set of double doors.

 

“Interesting work, very excellent piece. A lot of people have been asking about it lately.” She said, punching up a key-code on the right door's keypad. The doors opened, and revealed a large library.

 

“Baroness, do you really believe in the Devil?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“Enough to devote my life, books and library to him.” Kaede replied, pulling the book off the shelf. “Do you believe?”

 

“I'm starting to wonder.” Inuyasha sighed. Kaede nodded.

 

“This book requires a certain amount of faith, Mr. Taisho.”

 

“Which is something I don't have a lot of.” Inuyasha admitted. “Do you have any doubts of the book's authenticity?” Kaede frowned.

 

“Certainly not, I have studied this book for years, my knowledge of it is profound, I wrote a biography of its author.” She protested.

 

“Yes, I read it, Midoriko, Apprentice, Advocate, Concubine.” Inuyasha replied.

 

“In 1542, Midoriko met a young man by the name of Reilcuf Shikon, and the two instantly fell in love. Reilcuf would later admit to Midoriko he was the Devil incarnate, and the two wrote this book together as a means by which others could learn of him. It was meant to be a sort of Satanic Bible.” Kaede explained. “Instead, Reilcuf vanished and Midoriko was burned at the stake.”

 

“I understand they had a daughter together.” Inuyasha said. Kaede snorted.

 

“Rubbish, I know all there is about Midoriko, she bore no children of Satan, it is mere rumor, mostly sensationalism spread by the Order of Shikon. It's a secret sect founded a year after Midoriko's death that promised her soul to guard the books and study its secrets. Today it's a mere social club for millionaires and celebrities to meet and indulge their rampant desires and sex drives that they could otherwise not do in public. I myself belonged to their order, many years ago. But my orgy days are long gone, and I grew tired of their laughable meetings. I told the sect leader that if she wanted to know how to summon the Devil she can go ask him herself.” Inuyasha laughed.

 

“She?” He asked.

 

“Kikyo Fletcher, she leads the sect right now.” Kaede explained. Little bells went off in Inuyasha's head. “Until I left the sect they would read from my book, and when I left them Kikyo acquired the Houshi copy. Every year the sect meets on the anniversary of Midoriko's death to read from this book. So far, they have not succeeded and I am not surprised.”

 

“They read from the book?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“Yes, throughout the centuries they have always had access to a copy. In recent times, Sesshomaru Tenseiga tries to do the ritual himself, and Bankotsu Shinchinintai is no believer in the dark forces, so when I take my copy, Kikyo was forced to buy the Houshi.” Kaede replied.

 

“Did Musou Fletcher ever take part in the meetings?” Inuyasha asked. Kaede snorted.

 

“Certainly not, Kikyo married him for money. She never loved him, and he never loved her. Whenever there was a meeting Kikyo would just sneak off for a week and travel to the sect headquarters in Europe. Gorging herself on wine and food, having the various male members of the sect stick their various parts of their body in various parts of hers, my god…if Musou actually had any idea what Kikyo got up to, he'd killed himself.” Inuyasha coughed while Kaede laughed.

 

“Funny you should say that Baroness, he hanged himself a few weeks ago.” Inuyasha said. Kaede's smile slowly vanished.

 

“Exactly who are you working for, Mr. Taisho?” She asked, narrowing her eyes.

 

“My client is irrelevant Baroness, I'm simply trying to compare his copy to the other three to authenticate it.” Inuyasha explained.

 

“How stupid of me, I should have guessed.” Kaede growled. “Go back to your client, who can only be Naraku, and tell him that if he wants to examine my book he can come do it himself, if he dares. Stop wasting my time with a wolf in sheep's clothing.” Inuyasha sighed.

 

“Fine.” He said, turning and walking away.

 

“You're in far over your head Mr. Taisho.” Kaede called.

 

“Don't you think I know that?” Inuyasha called back, leaving her office.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Inuyasha stepped outside from Kaede's complex, and pulled his jacket up. He looked around and froze. Across the street, leaning against the stone balcony over the river below, was Tsubaki, casually smoking a cigarette. Inuyasha glared at her before walking down the street. After several steps he turned his head slightly. Tsubaki was walking along with him. Inuyasha cursed and realized there was no way he could go back to the hotel. He ducked into a café and went up to the counter.

 

“Coffee, decaf. And these.” He said, grabbing a pair of sunglasses from a rack and tossing them on the counter. The cashier nodded and rang up the purchase. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder. Tsubaki had sat down at a bench and started a new cigarette.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Several hours later the sun had set, and Inuyasha had downed two cups of coffee. Looking outside, Tsubaki was gone. He tucked his white hair under his jacket and slipped on the sunglasses, dropping some bills on the table and walking outside. He looked to either side, and went to cross the street. A parked car squealed forward, and Inuyasha spun around. The car hefted up on the sidewalk, and Inuyasha dashed down a staircase leading to the walkway by the riverside. He made it down the stairs and looked up where he had come, looking for Kikyo. He walked under the street bridge and started up the stairs on the other side.

 

He had gotten half-way up when Tsubaki stepped into view at the top. Inuyasha stopped, and turned to run back down. Tsubaki all but leapt on his back, sending both of them tumbling below, Inuyasha's sunglasses falling free on the pavement. Tsubaki hauled Inuyasha to his feet and landed a hook. Inuyasha spun around, and Tsubaki lifted her leg to kick him in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground.

 

Inuyasha spat blood and climbed to his feet, turning to see Tsubaki fall on her back as Kagome delivered a roundhouse. Where the hell did she come from? Inuyasha grabbed Tsubaki's collar, and she twisted out of his grasp to run up the stairs. Kagome put a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder, and he spun around to punch her, not even registering who it was before turning back to Tsubaki. Inuyasha ran after her, smashing his glasses on the way. He grabbed Tsubaki's heel, and she tore out of it, leaving her shoe behind as she ran away. Inuyasha followed her and emerged atop the stairs to see her dive into the car, the driver - probably Kikyo - pulling away. Inuyasha growled and tossed her shoe to the ground. He sat down on a nearby bench and sighed.

 

“You forgot these.” He looked up to see Kagome offer him his book bag and glasses. Inuyasha took them and lifted his book bag onto his shoulder with one hand as he placed the sunglasses back on with the other. One lens of smashes and the arm bent, but he really didn't give a crap.

 

“They're broken.” Kagome pointed out. Inuyasha gave her a look and noted the blood leaking from her nose.

 

“You're bleeding.” He muttered. Kagome shrugged. “C'mon, I'll get you fixed up.” He said, standing up.