In the following months Jaken was quick to discover an entirely new realm of pain. Even as a baby, little Shuramaru was anything but defenseless, a truth Jaken often discovered the hard way while acting as babysitter. On more then one occasion Sesshomaru returned to find his daughter getting into some kind of mischief, while Jaken lay unconscious thanks to her poisoned scratches.
Shura was a handful, but one her father wasn't ashamed to dote over. She was so much like him in many respects, her very presence acted as a comfort. Through her, his reign would continue, and once she was old enough and mastered her demon skills, she could even help him take care of some nagging unfinished business. The downside to his plans was that until his child reached an appropriate age she was a major inconvenience during his travels.
The problems only worsened as she reached toddler-hood. Curious and slightly aloof Shura always managed to chose the worst possible moments to wonder off and go exploring. Even after Sesshomaru resorted to using his whip as a leash, Shura still managed to find trouble; be it rouge demons, wild beasts or even passing humans. Jaken was usually able to handle whatever situations Shura got herself into, but as she grew bolder so did the creatures that threatened her.
As Sesshomaru found himself handling more and more of these little "situations" he started to wonder if this was the best life for his child. He was not so much concerned for her safety; for she had the will, at least, to endure anything. Sesshomaru was more worried about her potential to become a skilled demon. In his mind, Shura should have been showing much more power than she was and he believed his sheltering was to blame for her weakness and lack of discipline. As hard as it was, Sesshomaru decided the only way for Shura to discover her true strengths was to make her fend for herself. The cruelties of the world would no doubt force her to think on her feet and rely on her demon hood for survival. It was a drastic measure, but one he felt was necessary for the future success of his offspring. Failure was not an option. If Shura didn't survive, she was not meant to be his successor. Even with those intentions in mind, the test of Shura's endurance came unexpectedly and was far crueler then even Sesshomaru had imagined or desired.
It was a warm afternoon, the hills, forests and grassy plains were flooded with sunlight, and gentle breezes carried the fragrance of freshly blooming flowers. It was on one of these breezes that Shura's sharp nose caught the scent of her favorite food; a rare honey tasting fruit. With Jaken as her watch, escape was easy, and Shura slipped away for the umpteenth time. Her keen senses lead her out of the forest, where she and her father had been traveling, and onto a dirt road. The food was resting in a pile in the center of a path. Shura approached the fruit without fear; demon or not she was still a child, and children knew nothing of traps. Shura didn't see the bodies of warriors hidden amongst the roadside foliage as she bent down and reached for the food, nor did she take notice of the trip wire attached to it.
Shura screamed in pain as she was struck in the shoulder by a numbing dart. She tried frantically to scramble away in the other direction, but her efforts were halted as the five warriors stepped free from there hiding places. Though only human, their apparel could fool even the most observant. Each member wore a different set of demon skin armor, complete with facemask. Weapons of every sort made of demon claw, fang and scale hung from their belts and rested behind their backs. For a small demon child though, their weapons of choice were lassos made of wolf demon hair.
Shura gasped as one loop caught her arm. She tried to pull away but it only caused the rope to dig deep into her flesh. Another lasso, this one around her neck. It closed so tight Shura had to gasp for breath as she cried pitifully for help and struggled to fight the opposing pulls.
Shura's cries did not go unheard. Elsewhere in the forest Sesshomaru felt his child's anguish and quickly honed in on her calls for help. He halted just short of the forests edge, careful to keep himself hidden from the demon trapper's watchful gazes. Sesshomaru had himself witnessed such a band kill some of the most skilled and noble demons; and now they had his daughter.
The lead trapper, a lean faced, rugged, man sporting the skin of a boar demon, looked on in amusement at the child's feeble attempts to resist capture. "We've got ourselves a fighter," he mused as his numbing poison started to take its toil on their captive. Her gasps and cries reduced to feeble half whimpers, Shura sank to the ground in exhaustion. She didn't even have the strength to lash out at the boar-faced leader as he seized her roughly by the hair and tossed her into a sturdy cage on the back of his team's wagon. Shura was not the only demon victim of that day. Piled around her were cages of all sizes, each housing a demon. The meaner ones were bound further by chains and collars and piled around the cages were the remains of captives that were no longer alive.
"Let's move it!" the leader ordered as his followers cleared up the remains of their trap and loaded things onto the wagon. "We still want the beasties fresh by the time we get there!"
As Shura's mind drifted in and out of consciousness she caught a glimpse of a white haired demon standing at the edge of the forest. He was tall, elegantly dressed and bore a crescent moon on his forehead.
"Pappa!" Shura tried to cry out as the wagon started to move, but only the "pa" managed to come out audible. She didn't understand why he wouldn't come, why he was just standing there! Shura closed her eyes and let her body succumb to sleep as the vision of her father refusing to help burned painfully in her mind.
Meanwhile Sesshomaru watched with cold yellow eyes as the trapper's wagon started to depart in the direction of the nearest village. Part of him yearned to slay the filthy poachers that had dared to take his child. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he saved Shura this time, he would be cheating her out of the most important test of her life.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken panted as he rushed to catch up with his master. Though he hadn't actually witnessed the scene, the stillness of his master, and the absence of Shura told him what he missed.
"Quick master!" Jaken squealed, "They're getting away!" When Sesshomaru didn't move Jaken became even more frantic. "Aren't you going to go after them?" Sesshomaru didn't answer right away. He kept his gaze steady, ignoring the antics of his annoying sidekick. Finally though he did manage a reply. Though there was no emotion in his voice, Sesshomaru would not set his eyes on Jaken.
"No. A dose of human cruelty is the only way Shura will ever learn how to use her true power and fend for herself." Jaken was horrified.
"But my lord…" he started to protest, but was quickly silenced by a motion of Sesshomaru's clawed hand.
"Any heiress of mine would be able to handle this little test Jaken. If Shura fails, then she obviously wasn't worthy of succeeding me." With that said, Sesshomaru turned his back on the road and started back into the forest. Jaken looked first at the moving cart, then back at the place where his master had been seconds before.
"Wait for me, my lord!" Jaken pleaded as he once again scrambled to catch up.