Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha
Hi everyone! Thanks to those who reviewed! They make me happy! And I'm sooooo sorry for the crazy long wait, but I have had like 7 exams in two weeks and then had intersession for 3 wks, which is finally over! (Biochem…. shudder). (I know…cruddy excuses) sigh Tried to keep my GPA at 4.2 and I'm like brain-dead now. Anyway, I'm finding it hard trying to get this story to where it's supposed to go. So hopefully everyone will bear with me. Something just doesn't feel right…sighs again And I think my style is all over the place and I'm trying to make the chaps longer. Gah! Jaken may seem OOC, but…meh, the following scene was amusing so I kept it the way it is. -
Centauri Cruxis Angel: Thanks for the nice review! If what you're saying is true, I think Sess will die of a heart attack before the end of this story. All that food can't be good for you. Or he'll gain weight. We wouldn't want to destroy that lovely physique of his - And the deal about Rin….I have some ideas….you'll find out later. And Shippo going through pocket change?…Maybe he got the habit from Miroku? He has a habit of taking things…
AnimeFreak: I don't really mean to offend anyone with the swearing, it's just that Inuyasha has such a potty-mouth and I'm trying to keep him IC. (like in the manga) It's kind of funny that I'm using it here, though, since I don't swear in real life. (and I don't have anything against ppl who do-except for those who swear for like every second word that comes out of their mouth. I mean, learn some vocabulary!- Anyway, I just never got into the habit, which is strange since my family sometimes swear like crazy) Maybe Inuyasha should learn some manners?
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He tried to be inconspicuous.
He started to mumble, but then caught himself.
He tried not to cringe.
He tried talking. He tried being silent. He tried some humble worshipping. He tried nothing, and he tried everything. He honestly was trying.
A pointed metal heel ground its way into his skull.
Jaken was just not having a good day.
This was the girl's fault. He shook his head- no, it was Naraku's. Though Jaken was loath to admit it, he had come to care for the girl. She had been someone to talk to- or fight with- when Sesshoumaru was away. She had called him Jaken-sama; he missed the title. However trivial, something new or interesting had always come out of her mouth. He missed reprimanding her for her pathetic ideas.
Ah, the good old days.
Jaken sighed. It had been a little over two days since her death, and he missed her now more than ever- especially with the onset of these new "mood-swings" of his Sesshoumaru-sama.
If one could call them "mood-swings."
Sesshoumaru didn't 'swing' through many moods- Jaken wasn't sure if he even had many. It was more like the alternation between two main ones, or two versions of the same one. His Lord had taken it upon himself to stare thoughtfully into the distance while periodically beating the crap out of his servant. Jaken had termed it "vengeful" Sesshoumaru. It made him cringe. Sesshoumaru had always abused him when annoyed; there was a price for following the Great Lord, of course. Unfortunately, abuse had taken a new turn these days.
"Jaken." Jaken flinched, and Sesshoumaru stared quietly into the distance.
"Ye…e…ss…ss….Lo…ord…Sess…hou…maru?" sputtered Jaken. He glanced at the ground and then around him-as if looking for a way to escape the wrath of his lord.
Sesshoumaru stood silently. The metal part of his boot stepped once again on the toad's head. It twisted to the left and then to the right. It was as if he was trying to grind a nasty piece of gum off of his shoe. He then stopped, but did not remove his boot. Jaken's face was planted deep within the soil. It was not the only time that he had to eat dirt that day.
"Bpat kan I thoo por you me loerd?" It was hard to breath, not eat dirt, and speak at the same time.
Sesshoumaru kicked him. "Shut up, Jaken." He then resumed walking.
Jaken twitched and then quickly jumped up- dirt and leaves intertwined amongst his clothing. He brushed himself off, scurried after his lord, grabbed Ah and Un's rope, and tried to be silent.
A few peaceful moments passed by before Sesshoumaru paused again. He glanced at Jaken. The toad froze.
"Y…yes my Lord?" he asked tentatively. However, Jaken figured he might as well get used to it. He sighed inwardly as he was kicked into a nearby tree- branches scratching him as he fell down. Little spots danced in front of him. At least this part was pretty.
"Shut up, Jaken," replied a monotone voice.
Silence filled around them once again. Jaken figured a good chunk of his life was being eaten away by the tension in the air. Who knew when Sesshoumaru-sama would stop again? And it was way too quiet. He could hear the sway of the trees, the whispers through the leaves, a bird twittering here and there, and the crunch of foliage beneath AhUn's feet. It seemed too peaceful. It was driving him crazy.
As Jaken walked, he noticed a pretty white flower growing. He sighed. Rin had loved such ridiculous things. And his master had seemed to appreciate her little offerings. He ruminated upon this until an idea popped into his head. Maybe…just maybe…
Unfortunately, Jaken wasn't the most brilliant of toads. Or maybe all the kicks to the head had caught up to him and finally rattled something up there. Either way, it was obvious that he was not thinking clearly.
"My Lord," screeched the toad as he plucked the flower and presented it to Sesshoumaru. It was when glancing at his master's face that Jaken discovered that he had made a huge mistake. A stupid mistake. What had he been thinking? He was going to die.
"Do you mock me Jaken?" said his Lord dangerously. The cold tone froze Jaken in place.
"N…no! No! I was just…I was thinking….well Rin…"
"Silence." The whole forest seemed to have gone completely still.
Jaken trembled upon the ground. THIS was the end. He could feel the powerful youki radiating from Sesshoumaru-sama. He should have known not to bring up that particular name. Well, he had nothing to lose now. "I…I…figured…you might miss…well…" Who was he kidding? He was going to die.
"Are you suggesting that This Sesshoumaru misses a human child?" Long, pale fingers cracked and golden eyes narrowed. Hell itself would have recoiled at such a gaze.
Jaken cowered at his lord's feet. Sweat beaded upon his brow. "Of… c…course not my lord. This lowly servant knows nothing! Please forgive my stupidity!" Maybe Kami would spare some mercy?
Sesshoumaru glared at him. Icy daggers pinned Jaken to his spot. He knew he was dead.
"I…I…it…has… b..b…been…an honor serving you my lord," he groveled. However, this seemed to be the right thing to say, for Sesshoumaru paused. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. He stared into the distance.
"Do not speak of her again." Surprisingly, he did not kick Jaken into the forest- or kill him. Silvery strands swayed as he resumed walking in silence.
Jaken sighed in relief. He had been sure he was going to die at that moment. However, he was not about to question the strange merciful mood that had come upon his lord. Scrambling feet flicked dirt as he scurried after his Sesshoumaru-sama. Despite all appearances, Jaken knew his Lord missed the girl. Grabbing AhUn's harness, a glazed look passed over his eyes as he thought over the previous two days.
XXX
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Jaken weaved drunkenly through the forest. Rin was missing, and everything was a blur. He remembered talking to her as she swung her legs, and then he remembered her singing, and then… He wasn't quite sure.
…There had been a flicker of light and a flash of white. He had turned to the forest to try to see who was there, but it had become silent. He had held his staff defensively, had then shouted for the being to show itself or face the wrath of his Sesshoumaru-sama, and had then turned to check on Rin, but had found that she had disappeared- as well as Ah and Un. That was when he had heard the screaming. He had found himself scrambling towards the voice, but had instead found himself staring at the body of Ah and Un. He had moved toward the dragon, and was relieved to hear an angry snort from the beast. Ah and Un had tried to get up, but were unable to due to the fact that part of them seemed to have been eaten away. Jaken had stared aghast at the sight. Seeing that the dragon was at least going to live, though, Jaken had resumed searching for the girl. However, he had not been hopeful…
Jaken still wasn't hopeful. The shrill shrieks had died down quite a while ago, and his only hope now was finding his Sesshoumaru-sama. And he wasn't looking forward to the encounter. He had lost Rin, and, considering the screams, was going to be in MAJOR trouble. That was if he wasn't killed on the spot, of course.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!…Riiiiiiiiiin!….Sesshouuuuuumaru-samaaaaa!" He continued to amble aimlessly around.
He stopped when he happened to bump into something. Glancing up, he saw the impassive face of his Lord.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" He quickly fell to the ground. "Ah! Forgive me! I lost Rin! There was something in the forest, and the stupid brat disappeared! I believe that she is in trouble!"
There was a heavy silence before his Lord spoke. "Is that so Jaken?" The sardonic tone chilled the toad. Sensing something amiss, he looked up again. It was now that he noticed the blood trailing down his Lord's sleeves, creating a mesmerizing pattern upon the white cloth. Confused, he looked to the source and found that something was cradled in Sesshoumaru's arm. What was it? He stared harder, and eventually cold realization hit him. He started to shake.
"M…my Lord?" His eyes were wide, for he could not believe what was happening. That could not be Rin, could it? He was in big trouble…
However, his Lord walked by him. Jaken scrambled to keep up. He followed as his Lord made his way to AhUn. Jaken was told to stay there while his Lord just disappeared. He wasn't sure what his Sesshoumaru-sama went off to do- most likely off to think of some horrific punishment. It was not until almost sunset that his Lord finally came back. By this time, Ah and Un were well enough to walk, and Jaken, who kept jumping at the slightest sound and was now periodically twitching, was resigned to whatever fate his Sesshoumaru-sama had decided to bestow upon him.
After glancing at his companions, Sesshoumaru began to smoothly walk away, the bundle still in his arms. Jaken knew that he was to follow. Silently the group trailed through the forest. The sky was darkening to orange and red, and Jaken was getting tired. Where was his Lord taking them?
The sun was almost down now, and Jaken walked around blindly before he noticed that his Sesshoumaru-sama had stopped. Puzzled, he glanced around him. They were in a field of some sort- where long grass and flowers were gently swaying in the night air. Jaken noticed his Lord standing beside a lone sakura tree and scrambled over to him.
"My Lord?"
Sesshoumaru barely moved before gracefully settling himself beneath the tree, startling Jaken. He didn't bother glancing at the toad, but instead turned to look at the forest.
"Dig."
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" spluttered Jaken.
A hard gaze fell on him. Jaken jumped in fear- his heart began to beat furiously. "Ye…yes my Lord! Right away! You can count on me my Lord!" He rushed to find the perfect spot beneath the tree, and then… He had a problem. "Uh…I…I do not have a shovel my Lord!"
Sesshoumaru turned slightly to look at him, eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. "That does not concern me. Dig. Do I make myself clear?" His tone suggested that there was no room for argument.
"Uh…of course my Lord!" Jaken immediately proceeded to hack away at the offending soil with his staff and whatever stone happened to be nearby…
XXX
Another swift kick to the head brought Jaken back to reality. Groaning and rubbing his head, he remembered again that the task had taken almost all night to finish, and that he had been completely exhausted by the end. However, the worst part had been trying to ignore his Lord, who had been sitting motionless beneath the tree.
Eerie could be the only word that described the moment, as Jaken shivered at the memory. His Lord had been still… so still that Jaken had to glance periodically at him just to make sure that he was really there and not just a figment of his imagination. It had been creepy the way his Lord just held the girl, a ghostly figure in the moonlight. And it had been completely silent- except for the continuous crunch of staff on soil as Jaken toiled away. It was as if the forest knew to be quiet; lest some creature fall under the wrath of a demon lord. Jaken shivered again. Yes, there had been danger in the air, and a strange melancholy too. Of course his Lord missed the girl: it had been quite obvious. Not that Jaken would tell him that though. Sighing, and hoping for the best, Jaken continued to follow his Sesshoumaru-sama. Who knew what the next few days would bring?
XXX
Finally! The infamous 4th chap is done! I just had to point out that it was weird writing a flashback within a flashback. Anyway, we'll be getting Sess's thoughts next chap!
