Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha.
Jaken opened his eyes. Or at least he thought he did. He couldn't tell, because the only thing he could actually see was an eerie white light.
Tears found a way in his big yellow eyes.
Sesshoumaru-sama killed me? Why? Oh why? I was his most loyal and most dutiful servant, wasn't I? What did I do to deserve this?!
His mind was blank for a moment. Then he saw a picture of the young priestess before his eyes. He remembered her giving them presents and also his lord refusing her gift. At last he recalled, why Sesshoumaru-sama killed him...
Jaken watched his lord for a while now. The priestess had been on the verge of crying, when she left them. He tried to figure whether the demon lord had noticed it or not. It seemed he hadn't. Poor girl.
"Jaken, tell me what makes you think you can stare at me like this? Tell me one satisfactory reason, or face the consequences."
The toad winced and immediately fell down on his knees. "My lord, please, forgive your humble servant, but..."
"But?" Sesshoumaru asked and the little demon could hear the hidden warning in it.
"But... don't you," he swallowed, "don't you think that you behaved a little bit," he tried to swallow again, only this time it was much more difficult because of the lump in his throat, "inappropriately?"
"Inappropriately?" Actually, it wasn't a question.
"Very... inappropriately?" Jaken added and waited for the impact of Tokijin, the acid whip or a rock, simply for an impact of something that would end his babbling once and for all.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" his lord asked in a manner so dangerous that the poor little demon covered his head in fear and couldn't muster the courage to proceed. Seriously, who whould think that his lord would have so very few experiences with women? It's true that he usually only gave them several simple commands and afterwards kicked them out of his bedroom. The only two women he actually sometimes conversed with were his mother and the wind witch Kagura. And they both could be very bitchy.
But could he tell all this to his lord? He couldn't. He had to tell him something, though.
He opened his big mouth, but the only thing that came out was something that suspiciously reminded him of a croak. His lord started to lose his patience. The end was near. Oh, how he wished for a miracle!
"I think that Sesshoumaru-sama hurt Kagome-chan, when he said these ugly things about her present," came a sweet voice of his guarding angel. "I would be very, very sad," she explained and squeezed her new doll.
"Rin, the priestess is much older than you. She accepted my arguments and left," the demon lord objected.
"S-Sesshoumaru-sama, if I may s-say something..." Jaken stammered, when he finally found the courage. "I know that a demoness would find your arguments true and valid, but a human, especially a human woman is a completely different matter. Humans give presents as tokens of their respect and gratitude. Rejection of the present humiliates them beyond words."
Sesshoumaru didn't even blink. It seemed that it didn't matter to him, whether he'd hurt the priestess or not. At least, till his gaze fell on Rin, whose eyes were full of unshed tears. That made him unconfortable. "Rin, cease this foolishness at once," he ordered her.
"Sesshoumaru-sama humiliated Kagome-chan?" she asked. Her picture of the perfect and noble Sesshoumaru-sama had been marred by small cracks. "Kagome-chan will not want to see me anymore and because of that I won't be able to play with Shippou!"
Jaken saw, how his lord winced, when he got view of his little ward crying. She looked like a defenceless lamb, who just found out that it lived together with a wolf that had already devoured it's siblings.
"Rin, the priestess does not hold any negative feelings towards you," the demon lord tried to calm her.
It didn't work.
"There won't be anybody, who whould want to play with me," she said quietly and hugged her doll.
Sesshoumaru didn't know what to do. He thought it over and then turned sharply at his servant, who was still nearly lying on the ground. "Jaken."
The little demon felt a weird crawling sensation, sppreading through his body. Did that mean he was going to die? "Yes, m-m-my l-lord?" he asked and mentally bid farewell to the world. He was going to die, he could see it so clearly!
"If you are such an exper in the field of human habits and traditions, tell me, wthat exactly should I do now?"
He wasn't prepared for that. His lord was actualy asking him what to do? Totally unexpected. Could he really answer his question? It would be wise to just shut up and be glad that he managed to survive for so long. However, even the little toad-like demon had his honour and couldn't run away. And he owed it to the young priestess. She'd been the only one, who had had enough mercy to save him from the evil little things called childern.
"M-m-my l-l-l-lord, there is b-but one t-thing y-y-you can d-do," he stuttered. "Y-y-y-you c-c-can a-a-ap-apo—"
And in that exact moment his staff disappeared from under his hands and was used to send him flying into stratosphere. The last thing he heard was a startled 'Jaken-samaaaaa!' and then everything went black.
Jaken sighed.
So this is my end? Killed by my own weapon? Woe is me! After all these years killed on whim! Who is going to take care of Rin from now on? Who is going to wash and mend my lord's clothes? To keep his house? To look after him?
"Jaken."
The demon stiffened. He knew that voice. Is it possible?
"Get up," the voice ordered him coldly.
When he didn't react, he was kicked in his hip. The force of the kick made him roll over and open his eyes, this time for real. The white light was gone. Instead of it he saw the ground, his little hands that were touching the ground and a pair of black shoes, standing just a metre from him, ready to strike again, should he choose to rest a little longer. He immediately stood up and looked around. This part of the Forest of Inuyasha was quite far from the clearing. It seemed that his lord had been really angry, when he had made him fly such a distance.
Oh well, his mood should be better now.
One look at the demon lord made him rethink it. Not only was his lord angry, he seemed to be also feeling very uncomfortable. And he was hurt, too!
What exactly happened while I was out? And where is Rin?!
Sesshoumaru asked himself the same question. As soon as he had got rid of Jaken, he had felt his brother nearing rapidly. It'd been obvious that the stupid mutt wanted to avenge his little priestess (but it hadn't been his fault, that girl had always been emotionally unstable). The clearing hadn't been safe anymore. That's why he had sent Rin to find Jaken.
But she wasn't there and he couldn't even smell her. He set forth in the direction of the devastated clearing. There was a possibility of meeting his brother, or worse – the priestess, but he had to find his ward and therefore start to look in the place he had last seen her.
Jaken followed him, but soon started to fall behind. "Wait for me, Sesshoumaru-sama!" he croaked. Then he hit something hard and fell. What the..? His lord stood right before him. He actually stopped? That would the first time ever!
It wasn't because of him, though. The reason, why Seshoumaru stopped, was the little girl, who had appeared in front of them. She was hugging her doll and looking down on her bare feet.
"Rin," the demon lord said.
The girl cast-up her eyes. They were red from crying. "I couldn't find Jaken-sama and came back..." she explained quietly and hung her head. She looked ashamed. "Does Sesshoumaru-sama think that I am pathetic and half-witted?" she asked sadly.
Sesshoumaru stiffened. It wasn't possible. She hadn't been there. He would know, if she had. Or would he? Too many thoughts were crossing his mind at the same time, but one owershadowed them all: He couldn't bear anymore tears. At first the priestess, now Rin. He hated it, he had always hated it. It made him feel bad.
No, he couldn't take it anymore. He turned away from the sobbing girl and left his followers behind.
In other words: he ran away.
A/N: Rin actually talks like that, but... it sounds so weird! So weird! Oh, I'm sorry if I offended Sesshoumaru's mom. And I'm gonna sleep now.