I'm really sorry it's been a very long time since I last updated! I'm very sorry! - I know it's tiresome to wait again and again. Well, I can't tell you when the next update will be, I'm going from being a high school student to a college student so there are lots of things to take care of ^^"

Well, I hope this chapter will please you!

Thank you for your patience.

Enjoy your reading ! (and goog holidays if you're on =] )

Chapter 9 Mission

Jaken couldn't help but shake. He hadn't even thought about discussing his Lord's order – he would never do such a thing – but now that he was hiding in thorny bushes, surrounded by bear demons, he was starting to take the idea into consideration. Shouldn't they have been able to find somebody more suitable than him for that kind of mission?

A bird flowing off somewhere above him made his teeth chatter nervously. Of course he knew why his Lord had chosen him, he knew him better than the great demon probably believed, besides, Jaken was able to pass through a whole bunch of demons without being located – a talent he had taken great care to improve - but it didn't mean he was at ease with it! Usually, he used his skills to spy on some crooked demons who were likely to plot against Lord Sesshomaru, if they acknowledged his game, his Lord would assure his protection – it had never been said aloud, but actions meant more than words, didn't they?

The bushes behind him suddenly moved, making him jump. Spying on the nobility inside a luxurious castle, and sneaking among unfriendly demons in a wild forest were definitely two things radically opposed, he had to admit his nerves would rather have him in the former situation than in the latter. If he didn't quickly fulfil his goal, then he bet a heart attack would get the better of him.

To sneak into Lady Natsuko castle would have been pretty impossible, even if the demons couldn't locate him, Jaken knew he wouldn't have been able to pass through all the security – magical or tangible – which was certainly set up. Fortunately, the Lady happened to be travelling not far away from the border, probably to verify that her orders had been correctly followed. It made his mission easier.

'If they leave her alone long enough to let me approach her.'

However, unfortunately for him, that wasn't happening. Jaken had remained hidden in bushes for two days now, having found no opportunity to avoid the soldiers. He was not invisible – only very discreet - he couldn't simply walk straight to the Lady!

'They would kill me, and wonder what was my business, well, over my corpse,' he thought, a shiver running down his spine.

He was running out of time. He needed to fulfil his mission in four days at most, and two had already been wasted. He was seriously starting to think about sneaking into her tent in the middle of the night - after having prayed all day long for a miracle, it went without saying.

"Did the travel go well?"

'Gosh, why are they coming here?' Jaken went further into the bushes.

"Very well, thanks."

Jaken froze. She was there, Rin, their Rin! She was right there. If he got out of the bushes, not even totally, his head would be enough, he would be able to see her again, after ten years. Ten years...

The imp had to restrain himself with all his strength not to leave his hiding-place. It wouldn't do any good to show himself now but, but damn it was hard when she was so close!

"Do you really think, I apologise if my question is not appropriate, but do you think there will be a war between our clan and Lord Sesshomaru's?"

Jaken held back his breath, he didn't want to miss her answer because of a too loud inspiration.

Rin sighed.

"To be honest-"

"We're being attacked! We're are being attacked! Get ready! Captain Rin! Captain Rin! Please, we need to-"

"Catch your breath soldier," Rin calmly ordered.

The soldier knelt in front of her, face almost touching the dust. "I... We..."

Rin bent over him, putting a gentle but nonetheless firm hand on his back. "Breathe. It'll be easier to understand you."

The soldier silently acquiesced, calmed by his superior's cool. Rin held back a nervous smirk. She wasn't calm at all. If she was listening to herself, she would be hurrying the demon to tell her everything he knew, but that was a childish demeanour she couldn't afford to have right now.

"Good, now you can clearly explain."

Even if her controlled behaviour and the firmness in her voice surprised her old friend, Jaken was reassured to still detect gentleness in her intonations. The child he used to know still existed somehow.

"Dog demons are attacking us from... from the North, they're already on our... on our territory, we need... we need to assure our Lady's safety! Captain!"

Rin felt her blood run cold. She hadn't found a more suitable hypothesis yet, one that would innocent his clan, if there was the smallest evidence of the Western Clan's implication in this attack, she didn't think war could be avoided any longer.

Jaken loudly gasped. They had been outstripped! It was impossible, it was... He took several deep breaths, he had to regain his composure, he had to be calmed if he wanted to understand. Closing his eyes, he started to gather all the different elements together, little by little appeared a schema he would rather not have had to face.

There hadn't been any attacks in weeks, but three days after Lord Sesshomaru's decision to be prudent with their moves, and before he had had the chance to reach the supposed enemy's leader, calm was being broken. How could something like that happen? Several possibilities, spies, betrayals, sly schemes, one result, they were not in a situation favourable to explanations any more. Words would be weaker than actions. And it was a big problem when the said actions couldn't be totally controlled.

"What about reinforcements?" Rin's voice got him out of his thoughts.

"Already sent Captain."

She nodded. She understood now why her superiors hadn't been present when she had entered the camp. They might have suspected something would happen and go before every one else. '

They have more experience, it's normal, but what am I supposed to do?'

Rin hated feeling helpless. She was a captain now, besides she belonged to the personal guard of their Lady, she should be ready to face any situation. 'But you're still a child,' she thought without any bitterness. She was only eighteen, all her efforts wouldn't change that, she couldn't go faster than time. She had faced her share of hardships, but was it enough to make an adult of her? No, in fact, it was far from being sufficient.

She shook her head, she would think about her mistakes later. Now was definitely not the time.

"I'm going too. Stay there with the remaining soldiers to assure Lady Natsuko and the counsellors' safety. I'll warn them myself," Rin decided before silently adding 'As if they didn't already know.'

If her superiors had left, then the highest ranked people of their clan knew what was happening. It was purely logical.

Jaken had to choose between going back to his Lord, or fulfilling his mission – by appearing in front of Lady Natsuko asap, however if he wanted the latter to go well, he had to bet on the Lady's trust in the Lord of the Western Land. And if he opted for the former, he had to run as fast as possible and pray he reached his Lord before... before what? In fact, going back to his Lord would do nothing. They weren't the ones attacking the bear demons, warning his Lord wouldn't stop the assault, but warning the bear clan they were being deceived on their enemy's identity... He clenched his fists. He might as well take advantage of Rin's presence, she would surely believe him, wouldn't she?

He slowly got his head out of the bushes, ready to see her face, grimacing when he faced her back, she was already walking away from his hiding-place, taking his courage with her at the same time. He quickly disappeared before any soldiers could catch a glimpse of him.

'What are you doing Jaken? You have to go! You have to-' A hand suddenly grabbed him by the collar and jerked him out of the vegetation.

Rin thought she saw leaves move behind the soldier, but it was certainly the wind, or her imagination's product. She shook her head, she had to report to her Lady before leaving.

"Captain! Captain! There is a spy! A spy!"

She jerked her head toward the shouts. A spy? In the camp? Impossible! She ran as fast as she could to the screaming soldier.

"There! There he is! Captain!"

Rin gritted her teeth when she saw who the soldier was holding.

"This is a child!" she angrily screamed. "A child! Let him go! Right now!"

"But... But... he was hiding... he was-"

"Wondering what we are doing near his village you-" Rin stopped before anything harsh left her mouth. She had to calm down, she was a soldier right now, not a young woman, her feelings would wait. "I mean, just let him go, or better, find someone to bring him back to his home. It wouldn't be safe to send him alone."

Rin cussed under her breath. That fool, mistaking a kid for a spy, she kicked an apparent root, what a waste of time when she needed to leave asap! 'And to be more careful about your feelings,' she thought, disappointed with her lack of control over herself.

Jaken's fear decreased when he acknowledged the owner of the hand, a kid! A kid? Wait a second he had been found out by a kid when soldiers had been oblivious of his presence for days?

"Let go of me you moron!" he spat.

"What sort of thing are you?" the kid wrinkled his nose. "You're not human."

Jaken tried to free himself from the boy's grip. "I'm a demon! A demon!"

"Really? You look more like a toad. You're a magic frog?"

"I'm a demon!" Jaken shouted. "Let go of me or else-"

He was cut off when the kid covered his mouth. "Shut up! Someone is coming!" he whispered. "Come!"

'Come? Is he crazy or what?' Jaken thought – unable to speak in his current situation. 'Let go of me you moron!'

He could only follow – or rather being carried away by – the boy, away from the soldiers – and the threatening promises coming along with them – but also away from their chance to avoid a murderous war.

'Let go of me! Let go of me! My Lord! My Lord!'

The battlefield was not far away from the camp, a two-hours trip would be sufficient to reach their troops, fortunately for Rin who didn't like to travel on the back of a bear, even after so many years her body wasn't accustomed to it yet. Their speed, their way of moving through the woods, she always feared they would forget she was there and drop her, make her hit a tree and so on.

At least, this time her companion was somebody she trusted enough to travel without much worries.

"Do you want to stop before the battlefield or do I run straight in the middle of it?"

Rin leant forward in order to be closer to the demon's ear.

"Straight in the middle of it, it's where our superiors will be," she answered with certainty.

"Won't it be reckless?"

"Does it bother you?"

A ferocious smile stretched the demon's lips. Being under a human's orders didn't bother Mamoru as long as the human was Rin. He had been her training partner since she was sixteen, all the time knowing he would end up under her command so, instead of being rebellious, of complaining, of ignoring her because of what she was, he chose to believe in her like his Lady seemed to do. He chose to help her in her improvement in order to have a superior he would be proud of, a superior he would gladly work with.

Rin was a kind-hearted young woman, tending to follow her feelings, her heart, rather than her head. In order to be a soldier, she had to continually fight her true nature, she wasn't meant to be a soldier, however she did her best to hold that role as perfectly as she could. What he appreciated the most was her ability to forget her fears in order to make the most efficient choices, like now.

"Do you have to ask?" he chuckled.

Running straightly in the middle of a fight was something he knew she was afraid of, but she would do it nonetheless, another option would be a waste.

"Then go."

It was reckless, totally and utterly reckless. They didn't know what they would fall upon once they would reach the battlefield, but Rin couldn't think of anything else to do. She was glad Mamoru didn't mind being thrown in the middle of a fight, it spared her the bother to convince him.

"Are you scared?"

"No."

Lie. She could tell her blood was colder than the one of snake, frozen by fear and apprehension - she had the impression something was going to go gruesomely wrong. She hoped her instinct wasn't right. And, above all, she hoped their enemies weren't the ones everybody thought they were.

If she were to meet him in the middle of that battlefield what would she do?

TBC.