Danny'sGhostGirl: It is a bit odd that Inu Yasha is showing feelings other than anger, scorn and hatred, isn't it? (pause) Oh well!
Kitty Kudan: Cute name. And the Rin/Sesshomaru fluff isn't going to be anytime soon on account of the fact that, well, they're not even near each other. Also, it's not so much as Naraku is "interested" in Rin in the kind of way Sesshomaru is, it's just he thinks her a nice companion.
SweetyPieRin: Lol, yep, Naraku does piss everyone off, hehehe.
Erika Darkmoon: Yeah, well, after a reviewer suggested putting in more detail, I decided to give it a try. It's really paying off. (rubs hands together) It'll even help with some other stories and the book I'm writing on...Which is going extremely slow. (sweat drop) Good to talk to you again and thanks, I think I might make that happen between Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha.
Lady-Sess08: (grins) Thanks, I'm glad it was awesome. I hope you enjoy it, lol.
And on to the chapter!
X
Chapter Four, An adequate implicationInu Yasha, who realized that he hadn't scrutinized his brother well enough, now took the time to think of what he had said: something that could not harm him. He had no idea what Sesshomaru could have that couldn't hurt him. It confused him slightly and as he thought of his own possessions that couldn't hurt Sesshomaru, he wondered if it was the Tenseiga. But no, he had already made it clear that it was not his sword that had been stolen, so what could it be?
"Puppy," Koga flopped next to his nemesis, chomping on a raw fish. Inu Yasha had the grace to look disgusted of the wolf demon, who crunched on the spine bone. "Have you given any thought to Sesshomaru's possession that was stolen from him?"
"I was just thinking of it," he snorted, crossing his arms, looking pissed. Koga licked his lips, and then smacked them, as though to emphasize how delicious the raw fish and bone had been.
"I think," Koga leaned forward as though telling a secret, "that..." he glanced around. Inu Yasha twitched, and then smacked Koga hard on the head. "What the hell was that for?" Koga roared at him in anger.
"You were delaying what you were going to say and I, frankly, am impatient with your impudence." Koga smirked, but didn't comment on the insult.
"Fine. I think Sesshomaru's lost a woman."
Silence was ensued...
Then Inu Yasha broke into laughter as Koga scowled at him.
"What is so funny about that?" Koga demanded. He hadn't thought it was a preposterous idea earlier and he still didn't. He thought that it was very possible that Sesshomaru might be in love and be missing a loved one. Either a woman or some child he picked up –
Child.
"Child..." Koga muttered to himself as Inu Yasha wiped his eyes, snickering.
"You crack me up, flea bag."
"Shut up, I'm thinking!" Koga snapped, jerking his hand out. Inu Yasha blinked as well as Koga. "...Ugh." The wolf demon removed his finger, which he had accidentally shoved up Inu Yasha's nose.
"WATCH WHERE YOU POINT, DAMMIT!" Inu Yasha snarled at him, rubbing his sore nose.
"Humph, what a wuss," Koga muttered under his breath, then thought back to the notion of Sesshomaru might possibly have lost a child to Naraku. But the question that was still in his mind seemed to linger: why would Sesshomaru have a child in the first place? From what Koga knew, the demon was cold and heartless. Surely Sesshomaru wasn't...in love? With a little girl, mayhap? Koga's thoughts seemed to halt there and he cringed slightly. Was Sesshomaru actually like that?
"Hey," Inu Yasha frowned, "did you say child just a minute ago?"
"Why?" Koga asked suspiciously. The latter eyed him just as cynically, saying nothing.
"Because...Sesshomaru had a little girl – I think her name was Rin – with him when he and I were at Naraku's castle." Koga blinked, straightening. So, that was it. Sesshomaru cared dearly about a little girl – perhaps more than cared for. "And she saved Jaken when he was attempting to steal my Tetsusaiga..."
"Hmm, but she can hurt you," Koga remarked. Inu Yasha glared at him and immediately there was hullabaloo.
X
Jaken bent down, leaning towards the water, deathly close to falling off the banks. Sesshomaru, behind him, inched his foot a bit closer and twitched a toe, knocking poor Jaken in the water.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken wailed tearfully from the water, his eyes watery. Sesshomaru said nothing, just stared as Jaken pulled himself from the water and shook out his clothes, waving himself around in circles. Had Rin been there, she would have laughed. A shadow was cast purposely over his face as the thought of the girl appeared in his mind once again. He knew the desolation he was feeling would hardly drain out. For as long as it took to find Naraku, he was aware that he would become more and more depressed because of her absence. But then, at that thought, he would become motivated, and then again dejected.
The demon sighed through his nose, glancing at Jaken, who was starting a fire to dry himself off. He glanced down at the water and inched forward, his hand plunging into the depths. Taking a stick, he shoved the fish onto it, impaling his future food. He could eat it raw, true, but he had rather had it cooked.
"Excellent fishing, milord," Jaken complimented. Sesshomaru just glanced at him, saying nothing. Not that he did very much. "Milord...?"
"What is it now, Jaken?"
"Er..." Jaken flushed and backed down. Sesshomaru frowned at him. "Over there, milord," he finished obediently. The demon glanced over and saw the hot spring's spray slide up from the waters. He heard female's voices and he frowned, once again looking over at Jaken as though he had the mind of a two-year-old...Or a pervert like the monk Miroku. "Never you mind, milord, just..." Jaken paused. "Don't you think they may suspect us of peeping at them?"
Sesshomaru just stared at him, skepticism written in bold, seventy-two font letters on his face in permanent marker. Why, he thought, would I, the great Sesshomaru look at women such unworthy of my eyes? He knew that they weren't Rin, who had five years or less until puberty, but he certainly had no interest in them – especially since Kagome made him sick to the stomach and the demon slayer simply did not appeal to him. And what was more, in Sesshomaru's opinion, they both would more likely bore him to his funeral than Inu Yasha sticking his sword through his heart.
Snorting in amusement at such a notion of Inu Yasha, Sesshomaru once again shot his hand into the waters and withdrew a fish and plunged it above the other fish on the stick. Inu Yasha kill me? I highly doubt it, the revolting half-demon...
X
Rin rocked back and forth on her feet behind Naraku as he sharpened a blade.
"Who is going to use that?" She asked at last, curiosity taking over her young mind. He glanced at her and smiled briefly.
"No one," he replied. "I simply have nothing to do – until Inu Yasha and Sesshomaru arrive, that is." He noticed how she brightened at the mention of her lord and he scowled to himself. What in all the worlds is this girl's problem? Has she no eyes? What does she see in that pathetic brother of Inu Yasha's? Dolt.
"Is it a special sword?" She queried, clasping her hands behind her back and continuing her rocking. He raised an eyebrow.
"No."
"Oh..."
"Naraku," both man and child turned to see Kagura, Kohaku, and Kanna standing in the doorframe. "The lady Kikyo, we are aware, is searching for Inu Yasha." Naraku's lips curled into a vindictive grin.
"Is that so? Good. Let her. I wouldn't want to delay the inevitable."
"Inevitable?" Kagura repeated, her eyes narrowing cynically. She had been waiting for Naraku's death and for some reason, she had depended on Inu Yasha and his ignorant companions to bring Naraku to his hapless demise. Now, however, she had the feeling when he said "delay the inevitable", he really meant "delay Inu Yasha and the mortal's death."
Naraku smiled at her. "Inu Yasha's death, of course," he responded with his chilling grin that made a shiver crawl up your spine with fear and with a hint of disgust.
"...Right," Kagura mumbled at last. He just grinned, before turning to Rin, who flinched, overhearing all of what they had said.
"Go, Rin, I wish to speak with Kagura and Kanna alone." He nodded to Kohaku, who inclined his head in respect and took Rin's hand in his and she followed him out, glancing at Naraku one last time to see something pulsing in his head and a sinister grin on his lips and Kagura collapsing on the ground in pain. The last thought in her head as she walked with Kohaku down the hall was, Maybe Naraku isn't as good as I suspected him to be...
X
"Okay," Koga said, sitting on the log, resting his now-wounded leg. "Shall be confront Sesshomaru or what?"
"Why is there suddenly a 'we' here?" Inu Yasha demanded. The first thought that sprung to the half-demon's mind was not pleasant. But then he remembered that Koga was obsessed with Kagome and wanted her to be his mate, so he couldn't possibly want to get "closer" in a completely bizarre way, right?
Shaking the mental image of Koga hitting on him, Inu Yasha watched while Miroku and Shippo came in sight. And as usual when the monk attempted to peek at the two women, there was a huge red mark on his tan cheek.
"Geez, Miroku, why don't you give it a rest?" Inu Yasha demanded. Koga's shoulder twitched, livid at the fact that the other male was absolutely ignoring him and his question. Sure, he had ignored his question as well, but it was pretty foolish to even ask it. Of course there was a 'we' when only the two of them knew of Sesshomaru's lost love.
Deciding that speaking of it in front of the loud-mouthed fox-demon, Shippo, would be regrettable, he just slumped against the log, sulking. After sitting like a moping puppy, his thoughts began to wander once again to the demon and his young love. He had never thought Sesshomaru the type to be that desperate. But then, perhaps he wasn't desperate, but in love? True love?
Smirking to himself, Koga found the thought amusing. What demon ever would be in love?
Oh...Damn...I just snubbed myself, Koga realized, blinking, his leer sliding off his lips and sulking once more. And poor Kagome is going after that flea-bitten dog! Curse it!
X
Sesshomaru gave a cool look to Jaken as he put out the fire. He was barely aware of the flame eating along the edge of Jaken's tunic.
"Eh? Do you smell something milord? Awfully delicious and – YEOWCH!" Jaken jumped in the stream, shrieking about the fire. Sesshomaru's lips twitched. His servant always got the worst of things – in Jaken's perspective, at least. True, Sesshomaru went through far more, but it was worse when Jaken got dragged into his lord's mess and then he, himself, was going through a thing much more dreadful than the demon was, since he could handle it, unlike Jaken.
"Jaken," Sesshomaru stood up, glancing impassively at his servant, who was snuffling, soaked. "Let's go and see if my impudent half-demon brother has found out anything about Naraku."
Still sniffling, Jaken responded, "Milord, why don't you...Well...Try yourself? Not that I am accusing of not doing so!" He hastily added at the dark look shot at him. Tension had fired up in the air and Jaken swallowed. "It's just that I believe you could do so much better, milord. If you understand my meaning?"
"No, Jaken, I don't." Sesshomaru sneered, his mood having flipped over a full one-hundred-eighty degrees.
"They haven't been able to find out the whereabouts of Naraku, because they have not the high intelligence of you, milord. They have been reduced to slothful maggots. Milord, you could find out more if you worked on your own. I mean, sure, you would stay with them, but you could make your own interrogations and explorations." Jaken thought he might have gone over the line, because all his lord did was stare at him. Fortunately, he spotted the original blankness in Sesshomaru's eyes and knew at that point that he had said the right thing, that his lord was pleased.
"...I'll consider it, Jaken. If it will make things go faster." He told the shorter one. Jaken could see his lord calculating everything in his head and knew that not only was he considering it, but also working everything out – organizing how he would go about it.
Excellent! One point for me, Jaken thought gleefully, followed Sesshomaru towards the campsite where Inu Yasha, Miroku, Shippo, and Koga were lounging about.
X
"There you are," Inu Yasha grunted, spotting his brother. "Where the hell have you been?" Sesshomaru merely glanced at him as he sat near a tree, resting his head on the trunk. "Feh!"
"You should be careful talking to him, Inu Yasha," Miroku murmured. "Trust me, karma will just come right back at you and slam you into the ground. And it doesn't feel good, I assure you."
"Are you talking about Sango?" Inu Yasha asked cynically, all ready knowing the answer.
"If she would only give herself to me," Miroku told him mournfully.
"Anything about Naraku, Inu Yasha?" Sesshomaru inquired, having a hunch of what his response would be.
"No," the half-demon grumbled, "not yet."
"It's not that hard, Inu Yasha, someone must have heard something."
"No," Inu Yasha repeated, gritting his teeth, "no one has, Sesshomaru."
"You've asked everyone in the village? Inspected it to see whether Naraku has been there?"
"What do you take me for, Sesshomaru? An idiot? Of course I did!" Lashing out to him was one thing, suggesting that he, Sesshomaru, was an idiot was another. Or so that's what the demon suspected.
Swinging his head around to glare at his brother, he stood up and clenched his fists, trying hard not to change into full demon and rip his half-breed brother into a million pieces and lick those up as well. "Inu Yasha, let me remind you that I am attempting hard to get along with you."
"It's not my fault you lost your woman to Naraku!" Inu Yasha exploded unintentionally. Koga's jaw dropped in shock. Out of all the people, Inu Yasha was the last person he'd expect to burst out what they knew. His first thought was, Inu Yasha, you prick. Then the second one was, His fault, the moron.
"...Woman?" Sesshomaru repeated, his face and demeanor turning frigid as always. His mind was whirling with thoughts. How had they found out? And what's more, did they know it was Rin? Surely his brother had seen Rin, so...Sesshomaru cursed Inu Yasha and swore an oath in his mind, keeping his face blank so that his many angry and dreading thoughts did not show on his face or to cause his face to become disfigured because of the thoughts.
"Yes, that girl that was with you at Naraku's castle," his brother snorted, not at all ashamed that he was confronting Sesshomaru, despite the angry glares Koga shot at him. "Naraku stole her, didn't he? That's why you're looking for Naraku."
"How would that be possible, Inu Yasha, since she would be able to slaughter you?" Sesshomaru queried, wishing to delay the inevitable as long as he possible could. He didn't want to admit to his sneering brother that he was looking for a young girl, who, Inu Yasha no doubt would guess, he loved!
"Shut the hell up, Sesshomaru!" Inu Yasha snarled, glaring. "I know that it's true, so why don't you admit it? You've become weak! Weak as that pathetic flea bag, Koga, over there!"
"What!" Koga snapped, his eyebrows drawing down in anger. Sesshomaru growled, then let out a sigh, his face becoming composed once more.
"Very well, Inu Yasha, I admit. I am searching for my companion, Rin. I brought her back to life with my Tenseiga, therefore she is completely my responsibility."
"So why not just let her die, Sesshomaru? Eh?" Inu Yasha demanded, smirking, crossed his arms over his chest.
"Because I have found that she is an exceptionally good companion and quite useful as well," he lied.
"Feh! Whatever, Sesshomaru, whatever you say."
If I don't think of a better plan and story, Inu Yasha will never fear me – let alone any other demon. Naraku's blackmail would mean nothing then. That disgusting parasite knew that this would happen. The blackmail was just extra so that I would cooperate. Damn him, Naraku...Sesshomaru swore softly under his breath that not even Koga or Inu Yasha heard him.
X
DIS: Kind of short, but meh! Oh well. Just so you guys know, this isn't likely to be a sixteen-chaptered fic or anything like that. It's just kind of a drabble – to get me hooked on Inu Yasha fics more. Anyway, please review and tell me how it was. Ideas, of course, are always appreciated. Farewell, all.