Warning mentions of rape and torture in this chappie if u don't want to read skip this chappie but don't yell at me!
If Jaken found it odd that Shippo now had a companion he didn't ask. There was a very large man standing behind him, looking as if he could remove the door if he wanted. Or deliver painful whiplashes, suddenly Sango found that she wished she was as far away as possible.
Jaken smiled before looking up his toad nose at the burly man. "Thank you very much for your help Hyjenk (hi-jen-kay). But I won't be needing your strength."
The mountain of a man nodded before looking Sango over.
Sango tried to back up but Shippo tugged her forward before looking at Jaken. "My friend Sango said that she knows how to make the bubbles without using the expensive stuff." He looked distinctly superior.
Superior that is before Jaken tossed a load of water on him. "Wipe that smirk of your face. Sango is it? Well, Sango I am chief Nanny here and you shall now be my helper. I will let the Mistress know immediately."
Hyjenk looked at her the room behind her, her again, before looking down at Jaken. "I will let mistress know immediately." His voice was deep and rough.
With that said he left and Jaken led her upstairs. Jabbing his staff at the object he pointed at the nursery and various rooms. Smirking as he led her to the bathroom he looked at all the other sullen boys and girls. They were separated into two groups and standing in front of a room filled with bathtubs. They looked posed for flight, towards the huge tubs.
Sango stared at them all before turning to Jaken. "TWENTY! You have to take care of TWENTY children! Whom do they all belong to?"
Jaken smiled before saying. "Everyone, the servants, slaves, rulers. We are an equal opportunity babysitter. By order of the crown. These are just the 7-9 year olds. At ten they go and learn their new task and role in the palace, 3-6 are in a separate nursery, and the younger ones are with their parents."
All of the kids giggled at the sopping wet Shippo who moved forward and into line. Jaken looked them all over before raising his staff high. They groups tensed and as he let the staff fall they all burst into motion. Running everyone grabbed the nearest tub and turned the hot water on full blast.
Sango looked over at Jaken who then told her to please get the inexpensive bath bubbles into the baths. As she went about pouring a bit of shampoo into the bath water and, to the children's delight, creating bubbles she asked. "Why do they run and turn the hot water on like that?"
"So that their tub water is worm, we don't have enough hot water that all of then can take hot baths so the fastest get the hottest tubs. They don't have to worry about scorching them selves because the cold water comes on when the hot runs out." Jaken's squeaky voice wasn't smug, just guiding. He was gentle with the children and it was obvious that they loved him. He complained and cursed but under it all he seemed to genuinely care about them too. Sango decided that she liked this toad demon, at least a little bit.
Miroku and Inuyasha sat around the fire Miroku taking the more comfortable spot by the tree because Inuyasha wouldn't. He watched the smoke rise into the air and travel till it looked as if the stars swallowed it.
Inuyasha watched as Miroku watched the smoke and slowly drifted to sleep. He wasn't allowed to leave without permission and didn't want to ask but as he watched a bat scooping up the bug he pretended he could runaway and disappear into the forest. He watched the stars and fed the fire. Suddenly a piece of memory floated threw his memory.
The room was dark full of shapes but I didn't mind. I knew every other slave in the quarters I shared with my parents. Our master was cruel but, I didn't understand at that moment the significance of the collar around everyone's neck. Or why my parents left me with the mean man that hurt me every day.
I told my mom what the man did and she just cried and my father got so mad he shook and turned red calling him a raping basterd. He mentioned something that made me shake with fear but I can't remember now. My mom held me and lifted me up so I could see the sky she said that if it was ever to bad to just look at the sky and wish it away… that maybe if we wished long and hard enough that the wish would come true. All the shapes and faces blurred from my mind looked up to. Other children I played with when the man is busy are on their parent's shoulders too.
Everyone started a rhyme that made me feel good and I got chills when as one they closed their eyes and wished the same wish in their minds.
My dad said when you wish on a falling star the magics' more powerful but the old magic was always there and if I believed and wished hard enough my wish would come true. We all wished every night till They came to take me away. I couldn't see stars from my cell and I forgot after the oppressing atmosphere finally broke threw my barers.
The memory went threw Inuyasha with enough force he could smell his mom and dad both smelling of sweat from the days work.
Looking again at Miroku he looked at the sky and whispered the old magic words.
"Starlight Starbright, I wish a may I wish I might, Have the wish I wish to night." Inuyasha closed his eyes and wished the one thing everyone in that room wished for, I wish to run, to fly, to swim, to fall, to breath, cry, laugh, feel pain, joy, and die surrounded by people who love me and I them. In freedom. The familiar chills came over Inuyasha as he almost felt the power of every slave's wish combining in the air. But as always he felt as it slowly dissipated. Sighing he whispered to himself that time will collect his wishes and he will be free. He had to be.