InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Things Never Meant to Be ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Things Never Meant To Be

Chapter 2

Sesshomaru entered the grand hall of his castle; Jakken held the door open for him.

"Did you find her, my lord?" he asked.

Rin entered a few steps behind, hanging her head. "I'm here," she said. "I'm going upstairs to my room. I'm tired, and I don't want anything to eat."

Jakken watched as she slunk up the stairs to the second landing, then disappeared into her room. "Is there something wrong, my lord?"

He sat down in his high-back chair before the fire. "What could be wrong?"

He crept over to Sesshomaru's side. "Well, she was gone the entire day, my lord. Did she say where she'd been?"

The Lord of the Western Lands smirked. "With InuYasha and his woman."

His jaw dropped. "Why-why the nerve of her," he said, careful to note any change in Sesshomaru's demeanor. "The nerve of them. Keeping her away from home for so long."

"She went with them willingly," he said. "I think she finds them fascinating."

"What's so fascinating about those two!" he demanded.

He gave a slight smile, as if amused. "They're in love," he said in his normally deadpan tone.

Jakken scoffed. "And what's so fascinating about that?"

"She's at that age," he said. "It's natural that she's curious."

"Curious, they are," he said. "I've never seen such an odd pair. And that child of theirs! Don't get me started," he grumbled.

"Rin seems quite impressed with them," he said.

"Well, I always said she was odd, my lord. You can't look to her for good taste."

He glared at him.

Jakken did a quick shuffle backwards, bowing his head. "No offense, my lord. If you approve of her tastes, then of course, I approve."

He turned his attention back to the fire. "Ask her if she'll come down and play tonight," he said.

"Yes, lord. Right away." He scampered away upstairs.

Whatever that child said has put him in the darkest of moods, Jakken thought to himself. Someone has to talk to her about her little excursions.

He knocked on her door.

"Come in," she said.

He slid the screen open and scowled at her. "What have you done to our Lord Sesshomaru?"

She sat on her bed, fingering her pipe. "I don't know what you mean," she said.

"He's in an awful mood. What in the world did you say to him."

"I didn't say anything," she said. "I just told him what I did today."

He grumbled. "Hanging out with his no-good brother and that woman of his."

"I like them," she said. "They're a nice couple."

"They're a troublesome couple," he corrected her. "And that child of theirs--"

"Kisho," she said. "He's gorgeous. I couldn't imagine a more perfect child." She tilted her head to the side, with a sort of shy/sly smile. "Or maybe I could."

"Stop talking nonsense!" he warned. "It's probably that kind of talk that upset Lord Sesshomaru."

She blinked at him. "What kind of talk?"

"Mixing demon blood and human blood," he said. "His half-breed brother was bad enough, and now he's further diluting the blood of their great father with that lowly human girl. That InuYasha hasn't a brain in his head."

"But Kisho's precious," she said. "And InuYasha and Kagome are good parents. They're even expecting another one."

He slapped his forehead in disgust. "As if one wasn't bad enough."

"Why do you think Kagome's such a bad person, anyway? She's just as human as I am. Does that make me a bad person?"

He scoffed. "Humans are weak, frail creatures, too stupid to realize their own limitations. They need an iron fist and constant supervision to keep from killing themselves and each other. They have no respect for duty, honor or loyalty. Why," he said, "they're barely better than animals. If we demons weren't around, you could just imagine the sorry state this world would be in. You should be grateful Lord Sesshomaru has kept you around for so long, useless as you are."

Rin went red in the face. "Well, this `stupid' human has saved your life on more than one occasion! And, I did it without killing myself or someone else."

"And you're too emotional, too," he said.

She threw herself back on her bed. "Just get out."

"I can't," he said. "Lord Sesshomaru requests that you come down and play for us."

She rolled away from him. "I'm tired."

"That's all well and good, but--"

"I'm too weak and frail to make it down the stairs," she added. "I might accidentally fall and kill myself. Or someone else."

"Now, that's just nonsense," he said.

"I agree," she said. "It is nonsense."

"The lord will be VERY displeased if you don't come down tonight."

"I said I'm tired. Now, will you just leave?"

"Rin . . ."

She bolted upright and threw the pipe at him. "Go to hell!"

"Rin!"

"I'm sick!" she said. "I'm sick of you! I'm sick of him! I'm sick of this castle!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sick, okay! Tell him I'm sick and I'm not coming down!"

"Rin . . ."

She slammed herself back down on the bed. "Good night!"

He picked up her pipe and edged his way further into her room, closer to her bed. "Now, Rin, certainly you don't want to anger our great lord and master."

"I'm sick," she repeated weakly.

"Just come down and play one song," he said. "It would soothe him greatly."

"I'm sick," she said again.

He scuttled to the other side of her bed. "Be reasonable, Rin. You don't really want to make him mad, do you?"

"That's not my problem," she said. "You're the one he'll beat."

Jakken shuttered. "Please, Rin. I'm begging you. Come down and play for the master."

"You play for him," she said.

"Stop being such a child," he said. "Do as you're told and come downstairs."

She rolled over again. "No."

He was losing his patience, but if he went downstairs without Rin, he could lose his head. "Come now, Rin. Hasn't our Lord Sesshomaru been good to you? Hasn't he given you everything you've ever wanted? Indulged your every whim? Isn't he like family to you?" he asked.

She scoffed. "Human blood and demon blood don't mix. Isn't that what you said?" She sniffed back tears. "I'm nothing to you, to him. Just another noisy human. Someone to be stepped upon and looked down at . . . I wish he'd never revived me," she said. "If I knew this was what my life would be like, I would've rather have stayed dead."

Jakken sighed. It was pointless to try and convince her any further. He laid the pipe on her bed and made his way to the door.

"Jakken?"

He turned to face her. "Yes?"

"Why does he keep me around?" she asked. "If he hates humans so much? I thought he at least liked me."

He sighed. "It's hard to tell with our Lord Sesshomaru. He keeps his own counsel, and it would be suicide to try and question him."

"But I don't understand," she said. "He's always been rather removed. But never so cold as he was to me today."

"As I said before, our lord keeps his own counsel. In all the hundreds of years I've served him, I've yet to figure him out. But he's an honorable man, of the highest class of demon . . . Perhaps he feels responsible for you, having revived you and all. You don't have any family of your own, and you were so small when we found you."

She wiped the tears from her eyes. "But I'm not a little girl, anymore," she said.

"And therein may lie the problem," he said. "I won't bother you any more, tonight, Rin. Good night."

"He won't be too angry with you, will he?"

He waved her away. "Ah, I'll take it the way I always do. You just get some rest. It sounds like you've had a rough day, and I haven't done much to improve it." He again headed towards the door.

"Jakken?"

"What is it, now?" he asked, slightly irritated.

"Do you think I'll ever have a normal life?" She cracked a smile, "Like other weak, frail, stupid humans?"

He hadn't the heart to answer her. "Good night, Rin."

She pouted. "Good night."

He'll kill me, Jakken thought as he made his way back downstairs. He's in such a foul mood, I know he'll just kill me . . . But Rin's in such poor spirits, I doubt she'd do much for his mood. Better he take his mad out on me than make matters worse with her . . . Poor kid.

"Jakken," his lord called.

He ran to the side of his chair. "Yes, lord?"

"Where is she, Jakken?"

He loosened the collar around his shirt. "She's, uh, not feeling well, my lord. She said she's turning in early tonight."

He smirked. "I doubt that," he said. "She's much too rambunctious."

Jakken declined to comment.

"Well," he said, "tell her there's no need to deprive herself of a warm fire and hot meal, simply because she's displeased with me."

"Lord?"

He rose to his feet. "I think I'll retire early tonight, myself. I don't wish to be disturbed." He made his way upstairs to his own chambers.

"Aye, lord." He breathed a sigh of relief.

I can't believe he didn't kill me. He listened as the door to Sesshomaru's chamber slid shut. A strange power that girl has over him, he thought. A strange power, indeed.