Chapter 11 - Bitten

"Why me?! Why it's always me? I do my best to make everyone happy and yet, I always pay for it!"

A little green imp was racing through the forest with a horrified expression on his face.

"We'll just go to pick some mushrooms... What a trap! I shouldn't have ever agreed on that!"

He wiped the sweat away from his forehead and tried to speed up but his legs were just too short to move any faster. Vegetation of the forest was against him, whipping his face and soon he was covered in scratches and blisters.

"Lord Sesshomaru will certainly kill me for this. Again!"

Then his huge round eyes widened even more as he noticed the white stone walls of the palace. He stormed in, running through the halls.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" he cried out. "Lord Sesshomaru!"

Finally he found him, having a conversation with one the high-ranking demon regents of one of the areas under his dominion. Lord Sesshomaru didn't pay any attention to him, though.

"Wait outside, Jaken," he said, not even looking at him.

"It's Rin!" Jaken breathed out. "She doesn't have much time."

Lord Sesshomaru turned at him, his yellow eyes piercing through him like a knife.

"What?"

Jaken gasped.

"S-she went into the forest for some mushrooms - despite my resolute forbidding - and she stumbled upon a mamushi and it bit her leg. I was running all the time to get to you and - "

"Out of my way!"

Jaken was literally smashed away by lord Sesshomaru, who left the hall, flying into the forest. Although Jaken was following, shouting something, his lord soon lost him. He went after her smell, his eyes narrowed.

It didn't take much time and he found her laying on a small glade, shivering. He knelt beside her, looking at her swollen leg with two bit marks of the snake teeth.

"Rin..."

He placed a hand on her chest. Her heart was still beating, although very feebly. He bowed above her, pressing his lips against the snake wound and sucking the poisoned blood out.

"Lord Sesshomaru, so you've found her! You see, it wasn't my fault at all, I really tried to stop her but -"

"Shut up, Jaken!" lord Sesshomaru snarled, shooting him a glare. Jaken gulped, falling silent. Lord Sesshomaru bowed above her again. He continued sucking the blood for another couple of minutes, checking her heart beat every second, not even bothering with hiding worries from his face. Finally she breathed in deeply and stopped shivering. Her eyes opened slowly.

"Lord Sesshomaru..."

He smiled, visibly relieved, laying her hurt leg down.

"I cause you so much trouble..." she said silently but he shook his head briefly and and picked her up to his arms.

"Of course you don't," he said and turned, walking away. "It's most probably all Jaken's fault."

"What?!" the little imp said, angry.

"That's just not fair, you're so not fair, lord Sesshomaru! Hey, lord Sesshomaru, wait!"

Jaken followed him but his lord wouldn't slow down. Jaken collapsed on his knees, breathing deeply and shaking his head, muttering all curses he knew.

"Stupid kid! Everytime she gets hurt, it's me who's around and so it's me who's to blame. It's almost like on purpose."

The hissing sound came too late and Jaken screamed when the snake bit his arm.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" he shouted. "I've been bitten!"

He moaned and groaned as loud as he could.

"My vision's blurred and I can't feel anything... The poison... is so strong..."

Jaken paused and added quickly: "And painful!"

He groaned desperately again, falling on his back.

"Jaken!" lord Sesshomaru said with a stern voice. "Stop fooling around and go back to the palace. You must prepare a bed for her."

Jaken jumped up.

"Yes, my lord!" he bowed, running after him with the poisonous mamushi still biting his arm, floating loosely behind him like a flag.

Mamushi - a japanese poisonous snake