A/N: In all honesty, I almost backed out of this fic. But I promised
myself (and in the story itself) that I would not. Even if no one reviews
(though people did) I'm going to finish it. Speaking of which, I would
like to thank SM together, Preventer Squall and obbsessedanimefan84 for
reviewing. And just to Preventer Squall (if they are still anywhere near
this fic) I hope we both don't end up on the wrong end of these dangerous
items ^_~. Now on with the show!
The Midsummer moon hung bright over Feudal Japan. It sent a silvery, calming light throughout the land and many looked up peacefully at it. Even Inuyasha was at peace looking up at the moon.
Perhaps the gods were watching just before the mayhem unfolded. Perhaps they reasoned that because *he* couldn't see the moon, the beautiful calming moon, he had grown agitated to the point that he did what he did. And perhaps that was the reason. But we'll never know for sure.
Jaken brushed through the swampy underbrush, the trees obscuring the moon from sight. And Jaken secretly loved the moon. "Oh that I would marry a moon maid," he would often whisper to himself. His master paid it no heed and Rin was often curious about it. She had asked him just today what a moon maid was. Agitated, he had hit her: big no, no.
It hadn't been hard, just enough to startle her. Bearing that in mind Sesshomaru only beat Jaken into a slightly bloody pulp. Then he ordered Jaken to journey into some stupid swamp to do some menial task.
Jaken had been able to complete the task easily enough.it was the finding his way back that was the problem. He hadn't been worried until the marshland had turned into more of a forest area. And for the past ten minutes he could swear he was traveling on the boarder of a village.
Jaken cursed to himself. "When I see that girl again I'll." And that's all. For that was all he could do. Threaten. Even that was pushing the limits. Jaken was not so stupid to risk his life just to settle a grudge. He knew that no force on Earth would be able to bring him back when Lord Sesshomaru was done with him. He shivered at the thought and banished all thoughts of hurting Rin from his mind.
Stumbling over a tree root Jaken slid down a precariously close cliff. It was a short trip to the bottom, but when he got there Jaken was sobbing anyway. "Why me?" He muttered. "Why me?"
"Well duh, but what I'm saying is that once they kiss each other they'll have admitted their love for each other!"
Jaken stiffened. People were nearby. Quickly dragging himself to his feet, he located the source of the noise. What he saw made his excited breath catch in his throat.
"Inuyasha," he breathed. And that stupid monk too. And women.and a kitsune and a child. A whole pack. Jaken stirred excitedly from his hiding place, wondering if he would overhear any useful information.
It seemed though, that Inuyasha and the other older seekers of the Shikon Jewel were asleep. Only the kitsune and the child were still awake and talking. Them and a demon flea Jaken noted. Still, they might have some useful information.
Jaken knew better than to attack. He didn't care to test his powers against even the kitsune, but with a sleeping Inuyasha nearby.well, it was simply better to let sleeping dogs lie. Jaken smiled at his pun (as O'Malley the Alley Cat shudders at it).
"It needs a few kinks worked out but, I think it can be done."
Ooh, were they planning an attack of some sort?
"Let's do it! Let's have them all admit their love."
Jaken blinked in surprise. Love? How idiotically pointless. They weren't talking about a massive sword that could destroy one hundred demons in a single stroke. They were talking about a foolish human emotion. Jaken shivered in disgust. Bah, love. But he listened to their planning anyway, and committed it to memory.
When the speakers retired to bed, Jaken retraced his steps and quickly found his way back to his master. After presenting the token of his task Jaken mentioned that he had spotted Inuyasha.
Sesshomaru gave a shrug with his eyes, for it was simply not aristocratic to actually shrug. "Sire---I---I thought you would be pleased," Jaken inserted.
"It matters not."
"May I ask why?"
"I can find Inuyasha any time I please. I am not in the mood to challenge him for the sword now. Perhaps when he is not so preoccupied with idiocies."
'Speaking of idiocies,' Jaken almost said as Rin bounded into view.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" She cried triumphantly.
Sesshomaru, with the patience it seemed he only had for Rin replied blandly, "Yes?"
"I found a spring!"
He nodded and rose to follow her.
Jaken strongly suspected that Sesshomaru sent Rin on these easy missions to get time away from her just as Jaken so longed to do. But if truth be known, Sesshomaru was testing himself.
'If I can send her out alone in a demon forest,' he figured. 'Then I can just as well leave her to die.'
Of course he only said that to comfort himself. Because in actuality he sent her out with Aun who would scream bloody murder if ever Rin was in any danger. And Sesshomaru knew that despite what he said to himself and anyone else, he'd be there in an instant.
Being that he was in a generally relaxed mood (Rin tended to have that effect on him) he ignored Jaken's persistence on the matter of finding Inuyasha and when Jaken went stopped talking, Sesshomaru was grateful for the silence.
Sesshomaru had already groomed himself for the day, so he sat at the spring's bank and watched as Rin scampered around in the water, generally enjoying herself. Jaken settled himself at the edge of the water, muttering angrily to himself and plotting. Jaken loved to plot revenge, though he was never given the opportunity to go through with it.
Perhaps it was the look of utter joy on Rin's face when she brought up a fish she had caught, or perhaps it was the midsummer magic hanging in the air. Whatever it was it caused Sesshomaru to rethink his position as the aristocratic assassin that he was and do a good deed. Or maybe he simply wanted Jaken out of his hair so he could relax around Rin without him looking disapproving from a distance.
"Jaken, midsummer is upon us."
"Yes milord, 'tis."
"I have no need of you till the heat of August. Feel free to journey off as you wish."
Jaken blanched. The only time Lord Sesshomaru gave Jaken a reprieve from work was when his hormones got the better of him in spring and he wanted to take a woman without Jaken hanging around. Never had he been given the equivalent of a vacation. It was unheard of. Of course that didn't mean Jaken wouldn't accept it.
"Th-thank you mi-milord," Jaken bowed and with only a second of hesitation, scurried away.
"Why did you send him away Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked, the fish still flopping in her hands.
"Did you want him to stay?" Sesshomaru replied in his monotone way.
Rin shrugged and giggled as the fish squirmed out of her hands and she caught it again. "I can't-"
Sesshomaru swiped the fish from her, broke it's neck and returned it to her in a flash of claws. "Thank you my lord," Rin smiled. Sesshomaru relaxed against the tree and thought, with some measure of control, 'This is nice.'
When he looked up Rin was smiling at him gently; almost like she could see right through his armor of self-control and emotionlessness into what he really was. Who he really was. And for whatever reason, Sesshomaru didn't mind.
~*~
Jaken was not angry at his lord. No. The gods would have that made clear. Jaken was simply angry at the world. It is the same sort of anger most teenagers feel, as though the world was responsible for their burdens.
And why should it not be so? The world was an evil, nasty place Jaken decided. And he hate, hate, hated it!
When Jaken, or for that matter any demon hated something, he usually wanted revenge on it.
'But how does one get revenge on the world?' Jaken wondered. With a sigh, he decided it was quite impossible. Revenge on the entire world was an outrageous idea. Of course, other revenges could be planned.
It would be simply blasphemous to seek revenge on Rin. It would be the same as handing his life over (and quite too soon might he add). But there were others, others he could hurt.
"Inuyasha," he breathed, delightfully. Inuyasha and that idiotic monk. And those stupid women and the kitsune and all those other mongrels! Why hadn't he thought of that sooner?
Now that he had a 'Who?' the question was now 'How?'
"Let's do it! Let's have them all admit their love."
Dulled, but still as potent as ever, the conversation from earlier floated into Jaken's mind. He could hardly put the words with the people who'd said them, but it was the words that were important, not who'd said them.
"Okay! I think we should start with Sango and Miroku, because I think they'll be easier to do than Master Inuyasha and Kagome."
"And maybe they'll follow Sango and Miroku's example!"
"Fat chance, but it's a good idea."
"Now, this is a delicate situation. We could easily dispose of their clothing and trap them in a conveninant hot spring, but I think Sango would clobber Miroku before anything happened."
"Why would we need to get rid of their clothes?"
"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"
"Uh.well, it's easier to kiss when you're naked, yeah that's it!"
"Okay.but you're right about Sango hurting Miroku if that happened."
"Hm, perhaps if Sango thought Miroku did something nice for her."
"He does. All the time. It's just that he botches it by rubbing her behind afterwards."
"What does he do that's nice for her?"
"Uh, well he always helps her with her wounds, and doesn't try anything until they're healed. Oh! And there was the time we found her comrades remains and he insisted on carrying them to a better resting place."
"We should hardly do anything as monumental as that. Something.subtler."
"Like what?"
"Does Sango have any interest in clothing, food or such?"
"She um.likes these really pretty flowers. Irises I think."
"How do you know for sure?"
"Well, whenever we walk by them she always picks one. One time I asked her what they were called and why she liked them. She told me the name and told me her garden at home was made completely of irises."
"Brilliant. And so simple too. Now how do we play this out?"
"We need to get Miroku to give the irises to Sango in a secluded place. And Sango must make the first move, or this whole thing is going to fall apart."
"She won't. Not of her own free will. She's too proud."
"Well, perhaps she needs a little.push."
"Should I camouflage myself and push her?"
"No. I have a better idea. There is an herb called mishka. It's a broad leaf. You write a command on the leaf and if the person smells it, they must obey the command."
"So what do we do?"
"I can easily locate the leaf. Sota will have to write it though, it'll take me all day. Then Shippo can prance around and ask the two girls to smell it. It has a pleasant enough smell."
"I have a few questions. Why should he ask both girls?"
"Makes it seem less suspicious."
"Wouldn't Kagome get affected too?"
"No, you'll only write 'Sango' on it. It would only affect Kagome if her name was on the leaf."
"Okay, just one more question: won't anyone know about this?"
"Nope. It's a flea demon secret. So if either of you squeal, you'll have to die."
"Fine. So what happens after they kiss?"
"A romantic exchange we should hope."
"What if it doesn't happen?"
"Well, then we did all we could do."
"True."
"I'll get the mishka tonight, tomorrow we'll put the plan in action."
"Fine. What about Inuyasha and Kagome?"
"We'll distract them."
"No, I mean what are we going to do about them getting together?"
"Oh right. This'll be tricky."
Jaken stopped the conversation in his mind after the first couple plan was established.
Grinning evilly Jaken came up with his own plan. It wasn't all that hard, after all to thwart a plan made by a stupid flea, a stupider fox demon and the stupidest human.
~*~
Okay, I'm going to try my hardest to get the third (and second to last.I think) chapter out before Christmas break is over. But I give no guarantees.
READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!!
The Midsummer moon hung bright over Feudal Japan. It sent a silvery, calming light throughout the land and many looked up peacefully at it. Even Inuyasha was at peace looking up at the moon.
Perhaps the gods were watching just before the mayhem unfolded. Perhaps they reasoned that because *he* couldn't see the moon, the beautiful calming moon, he had grown agitated to the point that he did what he did. And perhaps that was the reason. But we'll never know for sure.
Jaken brushed through the swampy underbrush, the trees obscuring the moon from sight. And Jaken secretly loved the moon. "Oh that I would marry a moon maid," he would often whisper to himself. His master paid it no heed and Rin was often curious about it. She had asked him just today what a moon maid was. Agitated, he had hit her: big no, no.
It hadn't been hard, just enough to startle her. Bearing that in mind Sesshomaru only beat Jaken into a slightly bloody pulp. Then he ordered Jaken to journey into some stupid swamp to do some menial task.
Jaken had been able to complete the task easily enough.it was the finding his way back that was the problem. He hadn't been worried until the marshland had turned into more of a forest area. And for the past ten minutes he could swear he was traveling on the boarder of a village.
Jaken cursed to himself. "When I see that girl again I'll." And that's all. For that was all he could do. Threaten. Even that was pushing the limits. Jaken was not so stupid to risk his life just to settle a grudge. He knew that no force on Earth would be able to bring him back when Lord Sesshomaru was done with him. He shivered at the thought and banished all thoughts of hurting Rin from his mind.
Stumbling over a tree root Jaken slid down a precariously close cliff. It was a short trip to the bottom, but when he got there Jaken was sobbing anyway. "Why me?" He muttered. "Why me?"
"Well duh, but what I'm saying is that once they kiss each other they'll have admitted their love for each other!"
Jaken stiffened. People were nearby. Quickly dragging himself to his feet, he located the source of the noise. What he saw made his excited breath catch in his throat.
"Inuyasha," he breathed. And that stupid monk too. And women.and a kitsune and a child. A whole pack. Jaken stirred excitedly from his hiding place, wondering if he would overhear any useful information.
It seemed though, that Inuyasha and the other older seekers of the Shikon Jewel were asleep. Only the kitsune and the child were still awake and talking. Them and a demon flea Jaken noted. Still, they might have some useful information.
Jaken knew better than to attack. He didn't care to test his powers against even the kitsune, but with a sleeping Inuyasha nearby.well, it was simply better to let sleeping dogs lie. Jaken smiled at his pun (as O'Malley the Alley Cat shudders at it).
"It needs a few kinks worked out but, I think it can be done."
Ooh, were they planning an attack of some sort?
"Let's do it! Let's have them all admit their love."
Jaken blinked in surprise. Love? How idiotically pointless. They weren't talking about a massive sword that could destroy one hundred demons in a single stroke. They were talking about a foolish human emotion. Jaken shivered in disgust. Bah, love. But he listened to their planning anyway, and committed it to memory.
When the speakers retired to bed, Jaken retraced his steps and quickly found his way back to his master. After presenting the token of his task Jaken mentioned that he had spotted Inuyasha.
Sesshomaru gave a shrug with his eyes, for it was simply not aristocratic to actually shrug. "Sire---I---I thought you would be pleased," Jaken inserted.
"It matters not."
"May I ask why?"
"I can find Inuyasha any time I please. I am not in the mood to challenge him for the sword now. Perhaps when he is not so preoccupied with idiocies."
'Speaking of idiocies,' Jaken almost said as Rin bounded into view.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" She cried triumphantly.
Sesshomaru, with the patience it seemed he only had for Rin replied blandly, "Yes?"
"I found a spring!"
He nodded and rose to follow her.
Jaken strongly suspected that Sesshomaru sent Rin on these easy missions to get time away from her just as Jaken so longed to do. But if truth be known, Sesshomaru was testing himself.
'If I can send her out alone in a demon forest,' he figured. 'Then I can just as well leave her to die.'
Of course he only said that to comfort himself. Because in actuality he sent her out with Aun who would scream bloody murder if ever Rin was in any danger. And Sesshomaru knew that despite what he said to himself and anyone else, he'd be there in an instant.
Being that he was in a generally relaxed mood (Rin tended to have that effect on him) he ignored Jaken's persistence on the matter of finding Inuyasha and when Jaken went stopped talking, Sesshomaru was grateful for the silence.
Sesshomaru had already groomed himself for the day, so he sat at the spring's bank and watched as Rin scampered around in the water, generally enjoying herself. Jaken settled himself at the edge of the water, muttering angrily to himself and plotting. Jaken loved to plot revenge, though he was never given the opportunity to go through with it.
Perhaps it was the look of utter joy on Rin's face when she brought up a fish she had caught, or perhaps it was the midsummer magic hanging in the air. Whatever it was it caused Sesshomaru to rethink his position as the aristocratic assassin that he was and do a good deed. Or maybe he simply wanted Jaken out of his hair so he could relax around Rin without him looking disapproving from a distance.
"Jaken, midsummer is upon us."
"Yes milord, 'tis."
"I have no need of you till the heat of August. Feel free to journey off as you wish."
Jaken blanched. The only time Lord Sesshomaru gave Jaken a reprieve from work was when his hormones got the better of him in spring and he wanted to take a woman without Jaken hanging around. Never had he been given the equivalent of a vacation. It was unheard of. Of course that didn't mean Jaken wouldn't accept it.
"Th-thank you mi-milord," Jaken bowed and with only a second of hesitation, scurried away.
"Why did you send him away Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked, the fish still flopping in her hands.
"Did you want him to stay?" Sesshomaru replied in his monotone way.
Rin shrugged and giggled as the fish squirmed out of her hands and she caught it again. "I can't-"
Sesshomaru swiped the fish from her, broke it's neck and returned it to her in a flash of claws. "Thank you my lord," Rin smiled. Sesshomaru relaxed against the tree and thought, with some measure of control, 'This is nice.'
When he looked up Rin was smiling at him gently; almost like she could see right through his armor of self-control and emotionlessness into what he really was. Who he really was. And for whatever reason, Sesshomaru didn't mind.
~*~
Jaken was not angry at his lord. No. The gods would have that made clear. Jaken was simply angry at the world. It is the same sort of anger most teenagers feel, as though the world was responsible for their burdens.
And why should it not be so? The world was an evil, nasty place Jaken decided. And he hate, hate, hated it!
When Jaken, or for that matter any demon hated something, he usually wanted revenge on it.
'But how does one get revenge on the world?' Jaken wondered. With a sigh, he decided it was quite impossible. Revenge on the entire world was an outrageous idea. Of course, other revenges could be planned.
It would be simply blasphemous to seek revenge on Rin. It would be the same as handing his life over (and quite too soon might he add). But there were others, others he could hurt.
"Inuyasha," he breathed, delightfully. Inuyasha and that idiotic monk. And those stupid women and the kitsune and all those other mongrels! Why hadn't he thought of that sooner?
Now that he had a 'Who?' the question was now 'How?'
"Let's do it! Let's have them all admit their love."
Dulled, but still as potent as ever, the conversation from earlier floated into Jaken's mind. He could hardly put the words with the people who'd said them, but it was the words that were important, not who'd said them.
"Okay! I think we should start with Sango and Miroku, because I think they'll be easier to do than Master Inuyasha and Kagome."
"And maybe they'll follow Sango and Miroku's example!"
"Fat chance, but it's a good idea."
"Now, this is a delicate situation. We could easily dispose of their clothing and trap them in a conveninant hot spring, but I think Sango would clobber Miroku before anything happened."
"Why would we need to get rid of their clothes?"
"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"
"Uh.well, it's easier to kiss when you're naked, yeah that's it!"
"Okay.but you're right about Sango hurting Miroku if that happened."
"Hm, perhaps if Sango thought Miroku did something nice for her."
"He does. All the time. It's just that he botches it by rubbing her behind afterwards."
"What does he do that's nice for her?"
"Uh, well he always helps her with her wounds, and doesn't try anything until they're healed. Oh! And there was the time we found her comrades remains and he insisted on carrying them to a better resting place."
"We should hardly do anything as monumental as that. Something.subtler."
"Like what?"
"Does Sango have any interest in clothing, food or such?"
"She um.likes these really pretty flowers. Irises I think."
"How do you know for sure?"
"Well, whenever we walk by them she always picks one. One time I asked her what they were called and why she liked them. She told me the name and told me her garden at home was made completely of irises."
"Brilliant. And so simple too. Now how do we play this out?"
"We need to get Miroku to give the irises to Sango in a secluded place. And Sango must make the first move, or this whole thing is going to fall apart."
"She won't. Not of her own free will. She's too proud."
"Well, perhaps she needs a little.push."
"Should I camouflage myself and push her?"
"No. I have a better idea. There is an herb called mishka. It's a broad leaf. You write a command on the leaf and if the person smells it, they must obey the command."
"So what do we do?"
"I can easily locate the leaf. Sota will have to write it though, it'll take me all day. Then Shippo can prance around and ask the two girls to smell it. It has a pleasant enough smell."
"I have a few questions. Why should he ask both girls?"
"Makes it seem less suspicious."
"Wouldn't Kagome get affected too?"
"No, you'll only write 'Sango' on it. It would only affect Kagome if her name was on the leaf."
"Okay, just one more question: won't anyone know about this?"
"Nope. It's a flea demon secret. So if either of you squeal, you'll have to die."
"Fine. So what happens after they kiss?"
"A romantic exchange we should hope."
"What if it doesn't happen?"
"Well, then we did all we could do."
"True."
"I'll get the mishka tonight, tomorrow we'll put the plan in action."
"Fine. What about Inuyasha and Kagome?"
"We'll distract them."
"No, I mean what are we going to do about them getting together?"
"Oh right. This'll be tricky."
Jaken stopped the conversation in his mind after the first couple plan was established.
Grinning evilly Jaken came up with his own plan. It wasn't all that hard, after all to thwart a plan made by a stupid flea, a stupider fox demon and the stupidest human.
~*~
Okay, I'm going to try my hardest to get the third (and second to last.I think) chapter out before Christmas break is over. But I give no guarantees.
READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!!