InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kotone ❯ The Hell Wasp and The Baboon ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Rin squealed with excitement as Kotone swiped a fish from the river with a sweeping motion of one hand. The girl jumped up and down, clapping excitedly as Jaken began to complain rather loudly about the way they were behaving.

“Master Jaken, catch it!” Rin yelled, as the fish came flying at the imp. Jaken turned to yell at her just as the fish smacked him in the face, effectively causing another onslaught of chides.

“Lord Sesshomaru will hear about this, fox girl. He left me in charge!” He waved the staff of two heads threateningly, but Kotone only rolled her eyes in response. Rin stifled a laugh as she hurried to retrieve the flopping fish.

Kotone watched as Rin jumped around the fish, trying to catch it as it flopped around. The first time they had gone fishing had been a few days ago, and she was surprised by the way the girl had jumped straight into helping her catch the fish. But she supposed that, living with Sesshomaru, she often had to come by her own meals.

“Alright, “Master” Jaken,” Kotone said as she leant down and rinsed her hands in the cool water. “We have enough fish for supper now anyway.” She shook the water from her hands and slowly made her way back to the shore, keeping a close eye on where she stepped.

“Kotone, show me how to fish like you next time?” Rin asked, holding the small basket of fish in her arms. Kotone nodded as she stepped out of the river and unfastened her sash to let down her kimono. She had tied it up to keep the fabric from getting wet in the river, suspecting that Sesshomaru might have some reprimand if she damaged the fabric.

“I will, next time. Come then, we’ll cook you dinner. Perhaps we’ll have time to visit that hot spring you so cleverly found for us afterwards,” Kotone said, taking the basket from Rin, and heading back to their camp.

The girl nodded eagerly and followed after Kotone, yelling for Jaken to catch up. Kotone laughed as she heard the imp yell at them for leaving him behind but made no effort to slow down so he could catch up to him. She rather disliked the imp, having grown tired of the way he praised Sesshomaru for nearly everything he did.

Rin, she had noticed. Did not praise Sesshomaru as much as Jaken, but certainly seemed to like the taiyoukai a great deal. Kotone wondered why, but never ventured to ask the young girl how she even had come to be with the inu.

Once back at camp she silently contemplated the strange group she had become apart of as she arranged the fish around the fire. They seemed to move around quite a bit, though no one more than Sesshomaru, who came and went as he pleased. He had been gone for nearly two days already, and took the two headed beast with him.

Jaken seemed to have been with Sesshomaru longer than Rin, and often pouted when speaking of how the demon left him behind. She suspected that the imp had no powers of his own, but was weary of the staff he carried, and so was careful of how she approached him at first. She had quickly learned that the imp was all talk however and ignored him for the most part.

“Kotone, are they done yet?” Rin asked peering over her shoulder at the fish. Kotne blinked, breaking from her thoughts and nodded.

“Yes, Rin.” She handed the girl one of the fish and Rin sat down next to her, blowing on it before taking a careful nibble. “How is it?”she asked. Rin smiled up at her and nodded with a mouthful.

Jaken opened his mouth to say something, probably another complaint, and Kotone stuffed a fish in his open mouth. He gagged and fell over, laying motionless with the fish tale hanging out of his mouth.

Kotone shook her head at him and began to eat her own supper while Rin poked Jaken’s foot in mild concern.

Later on, after they had finished eating and Kotone had visited the hot spring with Rin. She tucked the small girl in beneath the furs Sesshomaru had left them to sleep in and glanced over to were Jaken was sitting by himself in a fit of gloom. She sighed, and thought to herself that she could perhaps try to be kinder to him.

Though the idea was somewhat unpleasant. He did scold them for nearly everything they did, and she overheard, more than once, as he mumbled hateful things at her back and called Rin a brat.

She looked up at the sky through the trees, and watched the stars while listening to Rin breathe. Her eyes closed, and she pictured the clear sky over her meadow, where she didn’t have to peer past tree tops as she laid and watched the stars. Then somewhere of to her right, she heard a strange, fluttering sound and she turned to see what it was.

“Jaken,” she hissed at him, and the imp jumped to his feet, looking around in alarm. There, hovering in the air and watching them, was a large wasp.
“One of Naraku’s spies!” Jaken said, holding out his staff before him. The wasp turned away and flew off through the trees.

“Naraku?” Kotone remembered having heard the name before. “Who is this Naraku?”

“Pah! Foolish woman, Naraku is my Lord’s greatest enemy! That was one of his spies, obviously Naraku is trying to find Lord Sesshomaru to beg for his mercy!” Kotone stood and walked over to him. If the imp continued to yell Rin would surly wake.

“Then you should go and see him,” she said, grabbing the imp. “You can tell him your lord isn’t here.” She threw him into the forest after the wasp, and watched as Jaken jumped up and yelled that he was finished watching over them. He retreated into the forest, but Kotone doubted he went far.

She shook her head after him, and folded her arms over her chest as she walked over to stand by Rin. She wasn’t surprised that Sesshomaru had enemies, and guessed that there were many more she would learn about. All the more reason to watch over Rin.

“Maiden,” said a masculine voice from the forest. Kotone whirled around and stared at the figure that had appeared not far from her. It was large, but hunched over. She couldn’t see their face as it was covered with a baboon mask, and it was dressed in white furs.

“Who are you?” she asked, standing protectively before Rin.

“I am not here to hurt you. Only to propose a partnership. I have watched you for these past days, and know that you hate that Inu who has taken you from your home. Just as he abducted that child you’ve watched over,” said the figure.

“He stole her away did he?” She looked down at the girl and tried to imagine that he had done so for her own good. She doubted that the inu could possibly have done something for someone other than himself. But she didn’t know, nor could she trust this masked figure. “Perhaps, but why would a taiyoukai want a human child? If he intended to eat her he would have already.”

The figure laughed darkly and Kotone’s eyes narrowed at him. “Why would a lone male steal away a female child? Or a lovely kitsune?” Kotone felt herself frown, she pushed the thought of what the man was implying from her mind. Sesshomaru didn’t take any notice to her as a female, or as anything for that matter.

“Sesshomaru is a monster that does not care for others, I’m sure you’ve noticed this. I can offer you power to destroy him, and save yourself and that human child,” he said.

“Your offer, as appealing as it sounds, I must decline. Should I choose to turn against Sesshomaru. I shall do so on my own, without your powers.” Kotone’s arms unfolded and she readied herself to attack the masked man.

“My offer is still available, should you choose to accept my help...” the figure faded away into the forest and Kotone relaxed. She raised her hands to her face and sighed into them, wondering if turning down his offer had been the right thing to do.