Prompt: Conscience
Word Count: 890
Genre: Humor
Rating: K
Warning: A miko is on the warpath.
Summary: Sometimes choosing the right path needs a little push.
Date Posted: 6/17/10


Kagome kissed his cheek right before she left to do a little shopping. "I'll be back shortly, be good and I'll buy you a treat while I'm out!"

"Which vehicle are you taking?"

"Vehicle. Really Sesshoumaru, just say 'car'. I'd planned on taking mine, why? Did you need my baby for something?"

He snorted. Her 'baby' was a powder pink Volkswagon Bug with flower decals. He could barely fold himself into it, even if he'd wanted to. It wasn't exactly the type of vehicle a powerful Daiyoukai wanted to be seen driving around town. No one would dare laugh to his face, but they'd all be smirking behind their hands.

"Of course not, I simply noticed it was running roughly. I will have it delivered to the mechanic if you take another car."

Kagome shot him a questioning look and shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with Pinky. She's fine! Stop worrying, I'll be back soon." With a smile and a small wave, she slipped out the door.

The dog demon sighed. Well, perhaps she won't notice…

An outraged shriek from the garage told a different story.

The door opened suddenly, slamming up against the wall so hard it bounced closed again, but not before Kagome was already through it. She glowered at him, breathing hard and ragged, like an angry rhinoceros. Pointing a dangerous finger at him she ground out, "I can't believe you would do such a thing!"

She noticed.

While moving a few gardening tools in the garage that morning, he had accidently scraped a weed digger down the driver side door, leaving a long deep scratch in the paint. He was hoping he could get the vehicle in and repaired before she saw it.

"Miko, I can explain…"

"Don't you dare 'Miko' me! I can't believe you'd try to cover for him! Your devotion to each other is positively unnatural! I know Jaken did this on purpose… he's never liked me, never liked Pinky, and never accepted that we are together now! This is the last straw; I'll purify him down to a tiny little ash pile!"

She tilted her head up to the ceiling so she could be heard through all floors. "YOU HEAR ME, BUG-BREATH? YOU BETTER BE RUNNIN' CAUSE I'M GUNNIN' FOR YOU!"

Sesshoumaru winced as both her voice and purification powers rose to hazardous levels. Before he could react, Hurricane Kagome was already storming through the house on her toad-stomping search-and-destroy mission.

She's blaming this on his retainer? I am one lucky dog, he thought, to narrowly dodge that arrow!

*POOF!*

Miniature Rin appeared as a child on his right shoulder. She was dressed in the familiar orange and white kimono, a beautiful wreath of fresh flowers on her head. Her adoring eyes were trained on his, hopeful he would make the right decision.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, you're going to tell Kagome-chan it was you, aren't you? Master Jaken shouldn't bear her wrath for something he didn't do."

Sesshoumaru reluctantly had to admit she was right. Jaken, currently out on the grounds somewhere, was safe for the moment. It would be a little while before Kagome cleared the whole house.

He could still hear her ripping open doors and tearing through closets, cursing and muttering about the numerous ways his retainer was going to suffer. It might be wise to let her to run out of steam first. In the meantime he could devise a good story about why he didn't tell her of the scratch right away.

*POOF*

A teeny-tiny demon popped up on his left shoulder, taking the form of Sengoku Sesshoumaru, complete with full battle armor, Tokijin, and missing arm.

"You would bow to and obey anyone, let alone a female? You were Inu-daiyoukai! What have you become, a whimpering house-dog! What is the purpose of the kappa, but to serve you in all ways? Let him shoulder the responsibility for this minor matter. For all you have provided him, he should willingly sacrifice his honor, and his life, for yours."

Hn. Put that way, perhaps he should just keep quiet and let the toad take the heat. It wasn't as if Jaken didn't have it coming to him. The imp made it his business to devil Kagome regularly in hundreds of small ways (Sesshoumaru secretly found his ingenuity amusing). Unjust punishment would be karma catching up with him, wouldn't it?

The figments of his imagination faded away as he made his choice.

Sesshoumaru mentally shrugged. It's not that he was afraid of his mate's towering rage or anything… but allowing Jaken to take the blame wasn't the worse thing he'd ever done. What was the harm in it, really? If Kagome actually succeeded in killing his retainer-which he doubted, as it was against her nature to commit murder-all he had to do was swipe away the underworld demons with Tenseiga and restore the toad to life.

Shame it could only be used once on each individual. Sesshoumaru might enjoy watching his mate dispatch the imp on those days he was being extra-annoying.

A long-forgotten memory tickled his brain just as he heard a door slam and felt Jaken's aura inside the house. He knew Kagome felt it too as she rushed toward it with blood in her eye.

Sesshoumaru hoped he could make it in time. "Kagome! WAIT!"


A/N: He makes it by the way... Jaken doesn't get purified. I know you were worried. Thanks for reading!