InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In a Different Light ❯ Protection ( Chapter 7 )

In a Different Light

Chapter 7: Protection

As much as Jakken hated to admit it, he'd grown rather attached to the obnoxious, human whelp known as Rin. In the beginning he'd found her to be tiring and troublesome, always under foot. If she wasn't singing or skipping, she was making those annoying little flower wreaths, trying to get him and the master to wear them. His lord was always "gracious," and told the girl she could give his to him. So, instead of one, ridiculous wreath, he always had two.

The toad scoffed at the memory as they continued on their border patrol. A demon of his age and stature wandering around with a head-full of flowers.

As always, his Lord Sesshomaru led the way, closely followed by his faithful retainer as he held onto the reins of Ah-Un, who, at present time, was carrying all of their supplies and one, very spoiled, human whelp . . . Though, upon closer inspection, and in all fairness, he supposed he couldn't rightfully call the girl a whelp any more. She was an adult by human standards, and his master's intended to boot. And, he supposed . . . by human standards . . . she could be considered somewhat attractive. He, himself, never cared much for women, but his lord did have an eye for beauty. One only had to look at his castle and the lands immediately surrounding it to see that.

His lord held an unadulterated appreciation for the pristine wilderness and unspoiled woodlands-the rugged mountains; the mighty trees; the cool, clear waters of lakes, rivers and streams; the tranquil valleys and gently, rolling hills; the quiet roar and fierce beauty of falling water, the calming effect of a cascade. And the interior of his home was no different. Fine, hardwood floors; delicate, silk draperies and linens; the most detailed of upholsteries and brocades on the cushions of his chairs; marble in the bath house, granite in the kitchen and shale for all the outdoor walkways. On the walls hung the most well-known works from the most esteemed calligraphers and most practiced weavers-stunning portraits of Lord Sesshomaru's venerable, demon ancestors, and brilliant, watercolor renditions of the Western territories and some of the many battles both his lord, and his lord's father had participated in; and the rugs and tapestries were unarguably the best anywhere in the Orient. The tables, chairs and beds had been hand-crafted by well-respected artisans from the sturdiest and oldest of woods. And, of course, only the finest bone china graced his dinner table, and, until recently, his lord had quite a large collection of porcelain vases . . . A collection that had decreased somewhat in size since the addition of the unruly Rin . . . But, admittedly, she hadn't broken a thing in the past three years, or so.

Jakken sighed and glanced up at his soon-to-be mistress. Yes, he supposed her "awkward" stage had passed, and his lord now regarded her as the most valuable part of his collection. And, Jakken, as keeper of all his collections, was even more responsible for her, now, than he had been in the past. If any harm came to her while under his care . . .

He inwardly cringed at the thought. The things his lord had put him through whenever the child had run off, or he'd managed to lose track of her, somehow . . . The beatings, the berating, the stones to the head . . . But, it wasn't entirely his fault. Rin was so tricky, and trouble just seemed to flock to her . . . And now that she was his lord's intended, he'd have to be extra mindful of her actions. If he let something happen to the weak, frail thing . . .

He glanced between the two-his lord before him and his future lady behind him-and shook his head sadly. Oh, how the mighty have fallen . . . First Lord Toga, then that half-witted half-breed, and now his most honorable lord . . .Why didn't he see this coming?

"Jakken, I hear something."

Jakken scoffed and disregarded Rin's softly spoken words. They'd long-since left their campsite and were now making their way alongside Mt. Kashima. A lightly forested area laid just off to their left side. If they kept at their current pace, and there were no unforeseen difficulties, they'd be home in just under two weeks.

"Jakken," Rin repeated.

"Hush up, girl. If there were something to hear, don't you think our lord would've heard it?" He watched her as she continued to scan the peaks above them, then glance towards the trees.

"Jakken." His lord stopped just ahead of him and gave him a backwards glance from the corner of his eye.

At first, the imp tensed, thinking his lord was going to scold him for not using Rin's newly-acquired title and telling her to shut up . . . But then he heard it, too.

Something somewhere was moving . . . towards them.

Sesshomaru moved from the head of the group to its side, standing between his followers and the forest, a few feet in front of his motley crew.

A loud rumbling sound filled the air. The wind picked up, and the trees began to shake. It also seemed as if the very ground they stood on, trembled in anticipation of the approach of this invisible interloper.

Rin slipped down from Ah-Un's saddle and stood behind the beast, bracing her back against the mountain's side. "What is it?" she asked.

Their lord didn't answer. Instead, he drew Tokijin and leapt into the air, just as a monstrous worm broke through the surface of the ground. It towered over the tallest trees, its translucent skin giving off an eerie, red glow between the clumps of rock and dirt embedded within the short, paddle-like protrusions from its body. It smelled of earth and death and blood and slime. And when the creature opened its cavernous mouth and roared at their master, it exposed row upon row of canine teeth, lining the dark passageway of its interior.

"Get down, Rin!" Jakken commanded. He watched her duck down behind Ah-Un before rushing to aid his master, who'd just delivered two sweeping blows of Tokijin onto the beast's body. Despite its fragile-looking quality, the worm's skin seemed to be quite resilient, reflecting every blow Lord Sesshomaru sent its way. "I'm coming, Lord!" He brandished the Staff of Heads over his head, then let loose a spray of fire.

That seemed to hurt it. The beast reared back, knocking down a few rows of trees in its wake.

"Well done, Jakken," Rin cheered.

He gave an acknowledging nod, then scampered headlong into the fray. The battle had been moved safely away from his lord's intended, now, the worm and his master, having moved deeper into the forest about twenty yards from the base of the mountain. They were still quite visible, though, with Sesshomaru raining blows down from the sky, and the tubular terror towering a full forty feet in the air. His lord had sheathed Tokijin and had taken to beating the beast with his Whip of Light. The monster's roars filled the air, and the ferocity of the fight shook the ground.

"Jakken!" Rin called out.

He turned in time to see another worm surfacing from the same hole as its previous occupant. It wasn't headed for her; it was headed for him.

"Ah-Un!"

The two-headed beast let loose a ball of white lightning at their lady's command.

It had the same effect as the Staff of Heads. The monstrous worm reared back, giving the toad time enough to collect himself and deliver a blast from his own weapon.

Rin patted the tops of their heads. "Well done, Ah-Un."

But the second worm wasn't done. Jakken watched in horror as it lunged past him and headed directly for Rin and her reliable mount.

"Rin!" Jakken called out.

She seized the reins, jumped onto Ah-Un's back and took to the skies, long before the beast ever reached them. Instead, it crashed into the mountain, creating a minor rockslide.

"Stay there," Jakken ordered as he noticed the two were about to descend.

"But, Jakken . . ."

He rolled out of the way as a particularly large rock came crashing down. He watched from a distance as the second worm twitched and twisted beneath the onslaught of rocks. The first worm had disappeared from sight, done in by Lord Sesshomaru, Jakken assumed. As the rockslide slowed and the worm ceased its squirming, he smiled smugly and hit it with an extended blast of heat from the Staff of Heads. "Think to get the better of me, did you?"

The rockslide ceased, and Ah-Un and Rin landed a few feet away from him. "It seems fire is the only thing that works against them," Rin declared as she made her way to Jakken and the now lifeless worm.

"It certainly seems that way," he replied.

"Where's Sesshomaru?" she asked.

As they both turned their attention to the skies, the first worm reappeared, bloodied and bruised, breaking through a new spot on the earth's surface.

"By the gods," Jakken mumbled.

"Jakken!"

The worm's head was coming directly down on him.

So, this is it, Jakken thought. I'll end my days as food for a worm.

"Jakken!"

Something launched at him, knocking him to the ground, rolling them both out of harm's way. Sesshomaru appeared above them and blasted the beast with a jolt from Tokijin. He, again, stood between his followers and the immediate threat.

"R-Rin?" Jakken sputtered.

She wiped the dirt and sweat from her face. "You have to be more careful, Jakken. You could've been killed."

"Jakken," his lord gave him a backwards glance. "What are you waiting for?"

"Aye, lord." The toad sprang to his feet and hit the wayward worm with a searing blast from the Staff.

Rin stood and watched as the worm roared its last and was reduced to little more than a charred pile of flesh and bone. She smiled and cheered, clapping her approval. "Well done, Jakken."

Jakken turned and bowed as Rin continued to lavish him with praises.

The only one not smiling was Sesshomaru.

"Wasn't that great?" Rin asked. "That was the absolute best I've ever seen Jakken fight."

Sesshomaru returned Tokijin to his sash and raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh?" he turned to face the two of them; his features calm, his gaze cool and even. "It was the best fight he's ever had, and, yet, he required your assistance?"

She fell silent, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. Well, she supposed she did save Jakken, but . . .

"How foolish." He turned on his heel and continued on his way alongside the mountain, the way they'd been going before the worms had appeared.

Rin regarded her lord's retreating figure, then turned to his retainer. "What was that for?" she asked. "Is he angry with us?"

"What do you think?" He frowned slightly, tightening his grip on the Staff of Heads.

"But what did we--"

"Come," Sesshomaru called back to them.

"Aye, lord," Jakken scampered immediately after him, his head low, and his posture somewhat slumped.

Rin walked back and retrieved Ah-Un, holding his reins fast as she followed after her lord and the little, green imp. She studied their retreating forms-the pristine silver and white silhouette of her lord, and the muddy, brown and green of his servant. Neither of them seemed worse for wear, and she, herself, save for a couple of scratches and a little dirt, was perfectly fine.

So, what is he so upset about? She wondered.

"Don't dawdle, Rin."

"Sorry, Sesshomaru," she ran to catch up with them.

How foolish, her lord had said. What was he talking about? Her? Jakken? The worms? Who?

And what was so foolish?

Rin's questions remained unanswered as they continued to walk in silence. Day turned to afternoon and afternoon to evening, the sun sinking slowly in the west, tinting the sky in hues of red, orange and gold; their long shadows creeping along the dry leaves behind them. They'd left the base of the mountain hours before and had begun climbing upwards. They were once again in the woodlands, and the sounds of animal nightlife filled their ears-chirping crickets, croaking toads, rushing water, creaking branches, and crunching leaves. Rin even caught sight of the occasional firefly, probably on its last hurrah before winter set in and it was too cold to go out.

But when were they going to stop? She wondered. When were they going to make camp? When were they going to eat? And who was going to be the first to speak?

It had been far too quiet since the worm attack.

"Camp here," Sesshomaru commanded, having reached the center of yet another tree-covered clearing. "I am going to take a walk. Jakken, watch Rin."

He bowed low. "Aye, lord."

"Sesshomaru . . ." she was going to ask if she could walk with him, but he'd already disappeared. "Jakken?" she walked over to him as he pulled down one of the packs from Ah-Un.

"What is it?" he snapped.

She helped him unload the dragon, then removed her saddle from him. "Go feed," she slapped the animal lightly on its hindquarters.

He whinnied playfully, then left the clearing.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked Jakken.

"Ah-Un?" he asked.

She folded her arms and glared down at him. "Our lord," she replied irritably. "He ignored us most of the day, and now that we've stopped, he's left us."

Jakken grumbled, pulling a blanket from one of the packs and spreading it on the ground. "He's obviously upset, you dumb girl."

"Well, I could tell that," she snapped. "Not by looking at him, of course, but . . . What did we do wrong? I'm fine, you're fine, he's fine, Ah-Un's fine. Everybody's fine. What's the big deal?"

"But," Jakken began, "if one of us wasn't fine . . ."

"But we are fine," she argued.

"Didn't you hear the master?" he asked. "'Jakken, watch Rin.'"

"I heard him," she said. "He always says that."

"Not in that tone," he replied.

She sat down on the blanket and smoothed out the creases in her kimono. "What are you talking about?"

"He's angry, all right." He pulled a wooden case from the pack and opened it, pulling out a tea kettle and three cups. "At me, as usual."

"Why would he be angry with you?" she asked. "You were brilliant today."

"Didn't you hear him?" he scowled. "'It was the best fight he's ever had, and, yet, he required your assistance?'"

She waved him away, slightly blushing. "That's not a big deal," she said. "I would've done it for anyone."

The toad huffed. "It wasn't a compliment, you dull thing. He implied that I'd disgraced myself."

Rin chuckled easily. "Don't be silly, Jakken. You behaved valiantly."

"I nearly got you killed," he retorted.

"Nonsense," she said. "You told me to hide behind Ah-Un, then you fought the worm off and then--"

"It came after you," he continued.

She waved him away again. "And I saw it coming and heard your warning, so I moved. Then the worm crashed into the mountain, and there was a little avalanche. I was going to have Ah-Un fly me back down, but you insisted we stay up there till you killed the worm, and the rockslide had stopped."

"Then I let my guard down, and the first worm resurfaced . . . I should've been worm food," he sighed dismally.

Rin scoffed. "As if I could just stand there and watch that happen."

"That is your duty," he spat back. "I am supposed to protect you. Not the other way around."

"But that's ridiculous," she said. "How can I stand by and let someone be killed when I know I can stop it?"

"You could've been hurt," Jakken retorted. "Killed."

"But I wasn't," she replied calmly. "You weren't killed; I wasn't killed. Everybody's all right."

The toad's scowl faded. He took on a more somber, melancholy visage. "But you could've been," he said softly. "And the lord would've held me responsible. Rightfully so, I might add . . . It was foolish for you to risk your life to save this lowly Jakken."

So, she was the foolish one her lord had been referring to. "Regardless, Jakken. Foolish or not, you're family. And I'd no sooner let anyone harm you than harm my lord . . . You two are all that I have in the world. And, Ah-Un, of course."

Jakken shook his head sadly, slowly from left to right. "This Jakken is but a servant. It isn't his lady's place to risk her life for his . . . If you'd been hurt because of me . . ."

Rin scoffed. "As if I'd let him lay a hand on you if I got hurt just because I was trying to help you."

"That may be," he said. "But what would you do to keep me from hurting myself?"

"Jakken . . ." she reached out and rubbed his upper arm.

He grumbled softly and folded his arms, tucking the Staff of Heads beneath his left arm. "I think I've gone soft in my old age."

Rin laughed to herself.

"Giggling girl," he muttered to himself.

She smiled at him. "So, what do we do to make him not mad, any more? I mean, after everything's been said and done, he's not really mad, he's just . . . worried, I guess. He was worried we could've been hurt."

"Worried you could've been hurt," he corrected her.

"Jakken," she sighed.

"I'm just the servant. You are his intended."

"I'm sure he sees you as more than a servant, Jakken. You've served him for over a century, so I'm sure he's formed some sort of attachment to you."

He mumbled something unintelligible.

"And he did revive you when Kaijinbo cut you in half, right?"

"True," he nodded.

"And he always takes you everywhere he goes . . . Even places I don't get to go. Like that one time you told me about-with all those Cats."

"The Hyenekouzoku," he nodded smugly. "Yes, I was his right hand man in that battle. Others offered their assistance to our mighty lord on that day, but he said I was the only ally he needed."

"Well, there you go," Rin beamed. "An ally is just like a friend . . . In fact, you're probably the only friend he has."

The toad smirked, apparently having regained his former sense of self-importance.

"So, tell me, friend Jakken . . . What can we do to put our lord's mind at ease? I don't want him spending the rest of the night mad at us . . . or worried, or whatever he's feeling."

"There's nothing we can do," he said. "You, however . . ."

Rin frowned. "I don't think I like the look you're getting in your eyes. Do I need to pick up another stone?"

"Not at all," the toad said. "What I'm going to suggest is perfectly proper behavior for a courting couple."

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Groom him."

"Groom him?" she repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Author's Note: Remember from Chapter 5 that there are three stages of courtship. Rin and Sesshomaru just began Stage 1 the previous night. Grooming is a Stage 3 activity. Jakken really isn't trying to cause problems between the two, but having a preference for men (hehe), he's never had to court anyone, so he's not exactly clear on the proper order of things. Thank you for reading, and please leave a review on the way out. And if you're interested in another good Sess and Rin pairing, check out "Eien Ni Nakunatta Shunkan: A Moment Lost Forever" by wickedoni on mediaminer.org. It's a really good fic, but I seem to be the only one leaving any reviews, so, please, give it a read and leave a review.

And if you're reading this story on mediaminer, I'd really appreciate some reviews. I got some really good ones in the beginning, but I haven't received any other ones since Chapter 3. I'd really like to know how you think the story's going. So if you took the time to read this, please, take a moment to write a review. Love it or hate it, I'd really like to know.

Thanks for reading, theMaven :)