A/N: Yay! Another chapter! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Reviews are wonderful! It makes me so happy to get reviews! Boy, I'm glad that I wrote this earlier, because I'm about tired right now-too much going on, not enough caffeine to last a whole day, ya know? No, probably not...then again...

Ugh, I'm not making any sense, see? Oh well, you don't have to really pay attention to this. Same old, same old...

Reminder-... /-/-/-/memory;... +-+-+-+past, not a memory;... /-/-+memory and past;... #(anything after)special pov

Disclaimer: I don't own Sesshoumaru or anyone else that Rumiko Takahashi created. I do own Juzume, but I don't think she's in this chapter, so that doesn't really matter anyways. I also do not own the songs. No suing me; you won't get any money from it anyways.

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Chapter 8-No Leaf Clover (Metallica)

Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel is just a freight train coming your way...

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"Master Jaken..." Rin looked at the imp hesitantly, unsure if she really wanted to ask the question that had come to her mind.

"What is it, Rin?" Jaken sighed resignedly.

"What's Lord Sesshoumaru's brother like?" she asked carefully.

"You mean Inuyasha?" Jaken sneered. "He's a dirty, filthy, good-for-nothing nuisance! He's rude, snobby, overconfident, and just downright foolish! He's a pest!" the imp exclaimed vehemently.

"But Master Jaken, I bet you anything that Inuyasha thinks the same thing about Lord Sesshoumaru," Rin said thoughtfully. "Did you ever notice that they're sort of similar?"

"GAAH! Don't say that, child! Those two are nothing alike! How dare you compare Lord Sesshoumaru to that-that thing! It's an insult!" Jaken practically shrieked.

"But Master Jaken, just think about it," Rin persisted in a reasonable tone. "Both of them are really strong-I mean, if Inuyasha is a halfdemon and he can still survive a fight with Lord Sesshoumaru, he has to be strong, right? Neither of them show their feelings to anyone, and they're both used to being so alone all the time. They've always had to look out for themselves, because nobody ever looked out for them. I think it's kind of sad," Rin frowned sympathetically. "I mean, I think it's sad that both thier parents died. And you know, Master Jaken, both of them want to be the most powerful no matter what-Lord Sesshoumaru wants to set up his empire, Inuyasha wants the sacred jewel-if you really think about it, they're a lot alike."

Jaken opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. He snorted noncommittally, but Rin knew that he saw her point and was just unwilling to admit it.

"Well, that's all just because they're related," Jaken said finally. "After all, they are half-brothers. I suppose that they would have at least something in common. But that doesn't mean that Inuyasha even compares to Lord Sesshoumaru!" he added a bit snappishly.

"I know," Rin nodded. "But I was just wondering something..."

"What?" Jaken looked over at her and blinked, intrigued despite himself. After all, there was nothing better to do anyways, so he might as well take an interest in her questions.

"I wonder if they even know very much about each other," she said thoughtfully. "I mean, Lord Sesshoumaru might know that Inuyasha is a halfdemon and that he has the sword their father left and all that, but what else does he really know? He doesn't know what kinds of things Inuyasha likes, or what he likes to do in his free time, or what makes him sad or anything. He can only guess about almost all of those things-and the same goes for Inuyasha too. You know, I don't think they'd hate each other so much if they really knew each other."

"Perhaps you're right, Rin," Jaken agreed. "But there's no way that they would ever attempt to call a truce for long enough to learn about each other like that," he sighed.

"Stop talking, Jaken," Rin pouted unhappily as she shoved the imp's shoulder lightly. "You're ruining my daydream. Let me pretend it can happen," she whined childishly.

Jaken sighed and sat down next to her, trying to imagine it himself. He realized idly why Rin didn't want him to say anything-it was a nice picture, the two of them getting along, whether simply indulging in a civil conversation or fighting bravely alongside each other while facing hundreds or thousands of demons, truly trying to protect each other. Yes, it would be nice if that were to happen...Jaken and Rin stayed silent for a while, contemplating the nuances of the relationship that the two brothers could have-if only they would try...

"They're so unlucky," Rin said dejectedly after about ten minutes. Jaken sighed and nodded agreement.

"Yes, child, they are very unlucky," the imp agreed heavily.

Rin sighed again and looked at the ground miserably. She plucked a tiny green stem from the ground, examining it closely. It had once been a four-leaf clover, but was now just a stem with a few broken pieces of leaf hanging limply from the top of the stalk. The wind kicked up a bit and tugged at the shattered remains of the tiny plant, pulling off the remnants of clover and leaving her to look at a dead, wilted, barren piece of what used to be full of life and simple beauty.

"Yeah, just like a no leaf clover," she sighed and tossed the stem to the wind, letting it flutter about as it would.

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Alright, another chapter! Thanks so much to all my reviewers! Thank you, thank you, thank you a thousand times over! I love reading reviews! So please make me happy and review! Thank you!