Jaken's Folly

Sesshomaru knew long before he reached the remains of the hut that a battle had taken place. The scent of the Wind Scar remained as well as…Ah-Un. Yes, the dragon had been there. Apparently he had healed enough to join up with Rin again.

As he topped the hill, Sesshomaru saw the devastation wrought by his enemy. There were gouges in the land, trees were ripped apart and the hut had only one wall standing and debris scattered about it. He saw where Ah-Un and Inuyasha had directed their attacks and felt a deep satisfaction at learning that Danzaemon had been injured. Sesshomaru wanted the killing blow to come from his own hand but was pleased that Danzaemon was now somewhere licking his wounds and awaiting death.

Leaving the spot where Danzaemon had been hit, Sesshomaru walked passed the ruined hut then stopped, a familiar sound reaching his ears – the sound of Jaken's snoring. Of course he'd caught the imp's scent but it had been faint like the others so he just figured Jaken had gone on ahead. Sesshomaru turned and went back to the ruined hut, yes there was a space there where the imp could hide and apparently sleep. Raising two fingers, Sesshomaru's whip appeared – it lashed out and took out the remaining wall then blew apart the few boards that continued to cover the imp.

Jaken had been dreaming. Lord Sesshomaru had praised him for destroying some low class demons and telling him how he couldn't get along without him. Rin was telling him how wonderful he was and asked what she could do for him because he was too important to worry about small details. It had been a pleasing dream until he'd been rudely awakened by falling pieces of wood and stuck by several splinters.

Sesshomaru watched as a mud-covered Jaken screamed and flailed about, threatening bodily harm and at the same time looking for some place to hide. He had to look away from the spectacle. "Jaken."

"You'd better leave before I burn you to a crisp! I'm very power…ful." Jaken finally noticed Sesshomaru as he made to run for the forest. He blinked for his lord glowed in the moonlight – all that silvery white hair seemed to have a light of its own. Feeling humbled Jaken bowed his head and moved to stand before him. "My - my lord, you have returned."

"Jaken, why are you here, covered in mud?"

"Oh yes! Brilliant disguise don't you think?" Jaken perked up. "That stupid Inuyasha failed to kill Danzaemon and let him get away! Then Inuyasha up and left! I told him we should wait for you but he went off into hiding. Hmph! So I decided to stay and tell you what happened and then take you to them. Smart, yes mi lord?"

Sesshomaru had been staring at the moon but he turned those amber eyes on Jaken – they seemed to hold the cold of outer space in them and the imp shivered. "Smart? How is it smart to stay behind and tell me what I can see with my own eyes? For once my half-breed brother showed good sense and took Rin away from here. It was his job to protect her from harm and this he did by leaving the place where Danzaemon had already attacked."

Sesshomaru stepped closer to Jaken. "And hiding in the mud when any demon could hear your snores a mile away? You were lucky that it was I that found you." His voice had grown soft with each word and Jaken's bones felt the chill.

"Forgive me Lord Sesshomaru! I – I did not think…" Jaken suddenly realized that he could not even tell him where Inuyasha had taken Rin. He fell to his knees sobbing to be forgiven.

Sesshomaru looked away from Jaken yet again. "Go clean yourself up. We will travel through the night until we find Rin."

"Yes, of course, right away!" Jaken tried to get up but fell several times over his own feet, that is until Sesshomaru kicked him and sent him flying. He landed with a splash in the creek. "Thank you Lord Sesshomaru!"

Jaken counted himself lucky that that's all Sesshomaru chose to do to him. Hurriedly he washed away the mud in the cold water but it felt warm compared to the look Sesshomaru had given him. Running back to his lord, he saw the pelt begin to grow and become a cloud under his feet. Slowly Sesshomaru was lifted into the air and started moving away. Jaken had to run with all his might to catch the tail end of the pelt then hung on for dear life as he hit some tree branches before they cleared the trees. With major effort he finally pulled himself onto the pelt and fell back into the softness. Stars twinkled at them as they passed through the night sky and Jaken fell asleep once again.

Gituku hovered by Danzaemon worriedly. He'd actually been hit, wounded! Hours ago his master returned to the village they'd taken over. He'd been wounded in the shoulder. Gituku had forced one of the young women Danzaemon had let live, tend his injury. Night had now fallen and his master was still asleep.

Personally Gituku thought they should go get help from Danzaemon's people but he adamantly wanted to do this on his own but maybe he would change his mind now that he'd been hurt.

"Gituku. Come to me, tell me about my wound. Strangely enough it does not pain me much." Danzaemon woke, sat up and leaned against a mound of pillows. He tried moving his shoulder and only felt a twinge of pain.

"My lord, you've awoken." Gituku quickly moved to stand beside him making sure he remained a tarnished green color. Danzaemon hated for him to blend in with his surroundings when they were alone. He wanted to see him as well as hear him. Gituku had to actively think of this because it was a natural as breathing to fade into the surrounding colors. "A woman tended your injury. The wench is apparently quite good at healing my lord. We should keep her around for a while, yes?"

Danzaemon tended to eat humans, especially the females but this one could be useful. Gituku looked to the woman cringing against the far wall.

"Hmm, we'll see." Danzaemon sighed. "I underestimated Sesshomaru's brother. He may be a half-demon but he wields a powerful sword and that damned dragon! I should have made sure it was dead the first time! I'll cut off one head and blow the other to pieces next time!" Danzaemon rotated his shoulder. He was allowing Sesshomaru to get the better of him; maybe he should bring in some help and give himself time to recover.

"Gituku, bring my treasure box to me." It was time to bring a little of the continent to Japan. Danzaemon smiled as Gituku's hands trembled slightly. Gituku was afraid of the magic held within, indeed what little he knew of the contents could be frightening and he hoped Sesshomaru was the one to feel the full brunt of it.

As he'd grown, Danzaemon had learned to control his transformations and he and his mother had lived with humans for a while. These humans craved power and liked dominance over others. Black magic and many highly effective drugs were used to obtain the results they wanted. Danzaemon had watched and learned well – he could call up spirits, control other creatures, create illusions and drive people or demons mad. Danzaemon laughed out loud and wondered what bit of evil he would use.