Jaken's Mortality
** I thought of this while watching The "Jaken's Sick" episode of Inuyasha. I do not own Inuyasha.
"These are the thoughts of a dying Jaken, infected with the poison of the Sanyoshu."
"Rin, please listen very carefully. There is a herb garden you need to find. You need to go there and find the "Flower of a Thousand Years". If I eat the berries of that flower, the poison will be neutralized! But you must get it here before the sun sets! If you don't, I will die! Please hurry!" Jaken urged. After hearing her confirmation, he watched her depart with Ah-Un, leaving him in his thoughts.
'Damn it. My arm hurts. Please Rin, hurry back,' he thought, dread filling his veins along with the poison, looking at the sun in the sky, knowing there was only around five hours of daylight.
While it may not have seemed like he was truly worried about the poison, if his actions just prior to getting stung said anything, he only made himself look like a fool to make it so Rin did not get so worried she could not do anything in her fear.
Jaken did not much like the girl, as she was a human, and was a bit of a burden on his Lord, but she was his only hope, and he did not want to make her so distressed she could not get the antidote.
'Ohh, I wish you were here Milord, you could surely save me. I don't want to die. I have such a debt to you. I can not die until that debt is repaid.'
** 2 hours
"Damn girl! This hurts more than she could imagine! Rin, get back here soon~!" Shouted an angry, yet un-moving Jaken. He knew that moving too much would only help the poison.
"Oh, I'm so hungry. I know I can't eat, that would make my blood run faster, but I haven't eaten anything for at least a day! I told that girl to wait, but she just ran off! This is what got me in this position in the first place!" Jaken shouted again. The poison was really taking it's time. Good thing perhaps, but it caused so much pain!
** 3 hours
'M-my breathing is becoming labored. Sanyoshu.. Such a slow, miserable poison. I'm sure the only reason I am still living is because I am a demon. How…, how long has it been since she left?'
He slowly turned his head towards the west, and felt his heart sink at the sight.
Sunset.
'No.. I'm.. out of time. Rin, Lord Sesshoumaru. I am sorry. I have so much I owe you. I don't have the right to die before fulfilling my sworn duty.. But.. There's nothing I can do. I'm on my deathbed, and I'm going to die alone.. Please.., Please forgive me milord!'
Jaken could feel tears flow down his cheeks, each portraying his sadness, pain, and loneliness. After all, no one wanted to die alone, with no one at your side to cry with you, as you fade from the world of the living.
'Just.. One last look at the sky. I want to die looking at something beautiful. To see the world for the last time. I may even die with a bit of happiness.' thought Jaken, depression rolling off of him.
Jaken looked towards the sky, and saw the simple beauty of it.
"Funny, how I never saw the sky like this until now.. How ironic. 'The eyes of a dying man see life in every glance.' was it?" he said aloud, wanting to hear his own words, perhaps in a vain attempt to keep his voice alive in the world, even as his body was giving out.
'My vision is blurring.' Jaken thought, seeing the world shift as he looked straight ahead.
'Wait.. Am I seeing things?' he asked himself.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Shouted Jaken, almost jumping up, but stayed still from the pain.
"Here." Was all he said, tossing the flower to Jaken.
'This is the.. Rin.. You got it.. Thank you.. Thank you so much!' Jaken cheered in his head, and proceeded in devouring the plant, roots and everything.
The day ended with Jaken lying down to sleep, still silently thanking the human girl.
It may not look it, but he was eternally grateful to her. He would never forget that day. Even to his last breath, a many decades later, age wearing on his body, finally fulfilling his sole duty in his life, aiding his Lord, wherever he had gone.
"Ah, the sky. It is even more beautiful than yesterday. This peace is.. So wonderful.." were the last words that fell from the ancient demon, finally at rest.
A/N: Oh man. My first one-shot. I was crying at the end of writing this. I never saw this coming from my thoughts, but I'm happy it did. I hope you enjoyed it, and were moved by it.