A Break

Lord Sesshomaru stood on the edge of a small lake, the body of water encircled by willows and basking in sunlight. Clouds reflected in the gentle waves the wind created on the surface It was pleasant to be in this quiet, lovely place. He couldn't remember when he'd had a while to just relax, with all the fighting and traveling he'd been doing lately. He would never admit to it, but he was tired, not physically, but mentally.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!" called a happy, youthful voice he secretly adored. He turned around to see what his little ward wanted to show him.

Just to see Jakem, his faithful, albeit weak, retainer. Honestly, his blind loyalty was his only saving grace, the kappa was all sorts of loud, thoughtless and annoying. Yet, he followed him out of his own will, so Sesshomaru tormented his only just a little.

So, he decided to merely raise his brow as he saw the kappa rushing over to him, round eyes looking at him with strange innocent joy. The kappa clutched a bunch of wild flowers in his sleek fingers.

And for some reason wore a kimono just like the one Rin wore.

"What is the meaning of this?" Sesshomaru asked when Jaken stopped at his feet.

"For you, my lord!" the kappa informed him proudly. Even his voice sounded like Rin's ad that was the only reason why the retainer didn't end up in the lake.

Something was very odd.a

He stared for a long while at the hideous face full of joy, innocence and hope. Everything within his soul howled at the terrible sight in front of him, Jaken's face wasn't created by kami to express such emotions in such great abundance and at the same time. He almost didn't notice when flowers were put in his only hand.

'Oi, asshole" Sesshomaru looked up to see that a group of people came down a road that curled around one of the cluster of willows. The voice was familiar, it was his foolish little brother's. "What are you doing here?"

And the faces Sesshomaru saw when he looked at the group were all familiar too, but not quite right. There was a Jaken in the robe of a fire rat, carrying on his back a Jaken in a scandalously short skirt. There was a Jaken carrying a huge boomerang, with a cat (with Jaken's face) on his shoulder. There was a Jaken in the robe of a monk, with a Jaken sitting on top of his head, an orange fox tail sticking out from his hakama.

A shiver ran down Sesshomaru's spine as he took in the dreadful image of more Jakens than was decent.

It was like a nightmare becoming real.

'Jaken," Sesshomaru uttered, his voice faint as he tried to push the sounds past his clenched throat.

"Yes, my lord?" asked a squeaky voice beside him. Sesshomaru looked down from his approaching vision of hell and saw the last Jaken, this one with the right voice and outfit.

"Call for Ah-Un," he commanded. "We're going for a beach retreat."

"Right away, my lord!" Jaken nodded eagerly and scurried away. Sesshomaru took a deep breath and reached down to pick the Rin Jaken.

"Will we be away for long, Lord Sesshomaru?" his ward asked curiously.

"This one believes it will be a while," Sesshomaru answered as he cast the last glance at the puzzled group of Jakens that watched him turn around and leave in what was the fastest Sesshomaru retreat.

He needed a break. He desperately needed a break. And he had to get a break before Kagura decided to show up, having Jaken's face too.

He wasn't sure he could survive that.