Title: Falling Stars
Author: Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns the whole damn empire.
Dedication: To those who enjoy the journey.:-)
Note: Woo hoo! Another chapter. Who'd ever thunk that Jaken could be such fun to play with? :-)
-Cel.
Chapter 9
The loyal retainer followed his master closely at his heels, reflecting on the calmness of the morning.
He hated it.
There was just something unnatural about all this silence, Jaken decided as he stared at the departing youkai lord. Although his master wasn't exactly known for loquacity, there was something intangibly odd about the youkai's manner this particular morning.
Jaken wrinkled his snout in disgust as his eyes fell upon the normally bouncing child. She was oddly quiet, as well. Perhaps she had contaminated Sesshoumaru-sama with her filthy human…
Suddenly Sesshoumaru growled, the sound low in his throat as he leveled his gaze upon his hapless retainer. Perhaps, Jaken thought as he backed up a step, the silence wasn't so bad after all.
"Stop that infernal racket before I kill you," the youkai lord commanded, his soft voice resonating through the air with an energy that shocked the old valet. Jaken looked quickly from side to side looking for the source of the offending noise… Wait a minute. What sound?
His eyes lit up in delight as he realized what his master must be referring to. With an evil delight, Jaken turned to the currently silent little girl and tapped her head with the old, gnarled staff he carried with him everywhere.
"You better leave, girl. He's going to kill you," Jaken gloated as he watched the girl's brown eyes furrow in thought even as her tiny hand rubbed her sore head ruefully. "Sesshoumaru-sama has decided … "
"Oh! Go eat a fly!" the girl suddenly giggled, her lively brown eyes dancing in her tanned face.
The retainer swung the staff towards the child's head again only to lose his balance as the girl quickly jumped out of the way.
"I told you, girl, I am not a frog. I am a highly evolved youkai. I do not eat flies…"
"Jaken-sama eats flies! Jaken-sama eats flies!"
"I do NOT!"
"Yes, you do. Rin saw you," the girl nodded her head determinedly as she crouched down on all fours and hopped. "See, Sesshoumaru-sama, Jaken did this."
"I do not hop," the toad demon looked anxiously towards his master, only to sigh in relief as he realized the dog youkai was completely oblivious.
"You do too!" Rin corrected as she opened her mouth wide as possible. Maybe she'll shut up now, Jaken thought exasperatedly. No such luck, he realized as he watched the girl's mouth move slightly as she continued to hop around. "Amf ven, ooo goo wike VIS!"
Jaken slapped a hand over his eyes, as if being unable to see it meant that it wasn't happening.
"I do NOT!"
"Do too!"
"Do NOT!"
"Rin saw you!"
"You did not!"
"Sesshoumaru-sama saw, too! And Jaken's face is orange."
The youkai clasped his hands over his face protectively. "No, it is not! It's a quite nice shade of green, thank you very much. Ugly little brat. At least it's not white like you." The toad demon seemed to think for a moment. "What do you mean that Sesshoumaru-sama saw?"
Rin giggled as she hopped up to the tiny demon, only to hop merrily out of his way as he reflexively swung the staff at her.
"Sesshoumaru-sama saw!"
The toad demon looked in panic to the tall, striding lord who walked so far ahead. Jaken's head fell forward in relief as he realized that Sesshoumaru-sama was too far off in his thoughts to pay attention.
"He did not!" Jaken yelled as he leaped forward to hit the girl. Suddenly, he dangled helplessly in the air.
Golden eyes peered down at him, the smooth corners of the thin lips unamused.
"I did," Sesshoumaru verified as he stared his retainer down. "And Jaken, your face is orange."
The girl burst into a fit of giggles as she ran in pleased circles around the youkai.
"Tell me, Jaken," the young youkai lord said quietly as he continued to hold the retainer by the scruff of the neck. "What do you feel?"
Jaken winced as he tried to keep from squirming too much.
"Pain, oh great one."
The dog demon's clear eyes clouded for a moment as he looked at Jaken with a slight frown. Suddenly, Jaken found himself sprawled upon the hard, packed dirt.
Jumping to his feet, the retainer groveled with relish.
"It was the most delicious pain, Sesshoumaru-sama."
Jaken opened an eye as he risked a look towards the slightly ill looking lord. Ooops. Perhaps that wasn't the answer Sesshoumaru-sama was looking for?
"Your own abject pleasures aside, Jaken, do you sense anything?"
Jaken felt his face return to its natural green colour as the embarrassment faded and his concentration increased.
Shaking his slight head vehemently, the retainer cowered before his lord and master. "Other than the Stealer, sire? Nothing."
The youkai's eyes seemed to widen almost imperceptibly but not before Jaken caught the look.
"Stealers? I, Sesshoumaru, banned them long ago from these lands," the aforementioned lord spoke quietly, but Jaken could hear the anger vibrating in the very air.
The retainer frowned, his head aching already from the strength of Sesshoumaru's displeasure. "Yes, sire. Do not worry," Jaken reassured as he sniffed the air testingly. With the confidence of a connoisseur, the toad demon nodded as he spoke. "It has nearly finished Stealing. After it is done, it will lie dormant until it finishes consuming its prey. And that, Sesshoumaru-sama, will take years. Pity the poor peasant who falls under those clutches."
The young youkai growled dangerously as he started to move swiftly towards the source of the negativity.
"Pity instead," Sesshoumaru started, not even bothering to wait for his retainer to catch up, "the Stealer who dares to defy me on my very lands. Come."
Jaken scrambled after the fleeting figure in white, his mouth turned into a frown as he waited for the ungainly baggage known as Rin to catch up.
"Hurry, brat. We will lose him and it will be all your fault!"
The girl just nodded, panting as she tried keep up.
Rolling his eyes as he grabbed the girl's hand, he pulled her along as he chased after the youkai lord.
"Jaken loves Rin!" the girl uttered in delight as she looked at their joined hands, her face lighting up even as she stumbled along.
"I DO NOT! Ugly human! Shut up or else I'll leave you behind to be eaten by the Stealer," Jaken threatened as he happily imagined the sight.
"You are so funny," Rin stated seriously as she pushed herself over a rock. "Rin loves Jaken, too!"
The toad demon stopped dead in his tracks, unable to keep his face from turning bright orange once again as he regarded the girl. "You do NOT! Take that back! Take that back right now!"
"Rin do too! And Jaken-sama?" the girl shook her head slowly, her mouth wide in a smile as she started to pull at his hand. "Let's go! Sesshoumaru-sama is getting away."
Cursing under his breath as he realized that Sesshoumaru had disappeared completely from view, Jaken sniffed the air. "Dumb little girl. Good thing I can smell him or else we'd never see him again."
The girl giggled, her head bouncing from side to side as she regarded the retainer. "Nuh uh! Sesshoumaru-sama loves Rin. He would find her."
"Not if I feed you to a hungry youkai first."
"Sesshoumaru-sama would feed Jaken to the hungry youkai, too," the girl stated, undoubtedly correctly, as they cleared the thick copse of trees.
The retainer, his small brain pulsating almost violently as he tried to think of a quick rejoinder to put the child in her place, seemed to pause as the overbearing negativity of a Stealer hit him.
Wincing as he fell to his knees, Jaken looked at the scene around him. His reaction faster than it had been in years, impressed even him as he grabbed the girl and covered her eyes with his sweaty hands.
"Jaken-sama?" the girl asked, her voice trembling from the foul aura of the environment. For probably the first time since she started following them, the girl remained silently within his grip.
"Quiet, girl. Just remain quiet," Jaken whispered almost kindly, unable to keep his hands from trembling as he watched his master walk slowly towards the center of the field, the lord's grace unshaken even as he stepped over the distorted bodies of the dead and to the lone hanyou that stood amidst it all.
The hanyou roared, his silver hair glistening in the light as he pushed something behind his body. Jaken frowned slightly as he recognized the lifeless form of the young woman who accompanied Inuyasha everywhere.
So they had finally fallen?
Not even the impetuous pup or the human deserved a fate such as this, he decided as he watched his master circle warily around the hanyou, the Stealer watching on in amusement.
Jaken frowned, his snout completely unsuited for the task as he felt the itch of someone's eyes falling upon his body.
"Master!" Jaken yelled suddenly, his mind suddenly feeling weak as he identified the feeling. "Behind you!"
Sesshoumaru looked back, only to smile slightly as the white fur of an albino baboon flitted between the sparse trees. Wordlessly, the great lord turned his intimidating gaze to his brother, nodding almost imperceptibly.
The hanyou seemed to almost jump back in surprise, but slowly, a smile came to Inuyasha's lips. With an answering nod, the two brothers turned suddenly to face the terror that stood before them.
Together.
Response to Reviews:
Stormlight: Scary, isn't it? :-) Chapter 7 was admittedly filler, but I'm glad you liked 8. :-) That one was fun to write.
Kimmy: Yes, ma'am! Yeah! We need a bunch more Kas/Sess fics out there!
Lady Rissa: *GRIN* That was my impression, too. But, I suspect, there is as much danger in having that much control as there is in being as impulsive as Inuyasha is. ;-) Thanks!
Steph: *innocent look* Geesh. Slacker. :-) Don't worry about missing her getting injured. It was a *very* slight reference in chapter 6. Unless, of course, you are referring to her fainting spell. Or was it merely fainting? Muahaha. The soap continues!
Voldersnort: Eeek! I admit it. I'm a perverse and twisted soul. :-) I have to read HP soon... once my tax refund comes in. *ahem* (Tax refund? What tax refund?) Niiiiiiiice! You picked up the Sango deal. Was wondering if anyone would catch that. :-) That will turn into a side story a little later on. ;-) Thanks!
Woo hoo! Another chapter down! Thanks for the reviews!