InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Want To Be Your Slave ❯ Jaken In The Western Lands ( Chapter 23 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Lord Youko 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 05.03.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 1.4K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 05.03.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 1.4K | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 23 – Jaken in the Western Lands
The news that Lord Jaken was abdicating the throne spread like wild fire; the guards who had been in the room when Jaken pledged his life to Sesshoumaru lost no time in telling everyone they knew.
There was shock, disbelief, happiness, distress, fear. In the process of telling, the facts got completely out of proportion. Soon, stories were being told of how Jaken-sama had killed the banshee and the strange prince of the Western Lands had then cast a spell on their Lord because he was unable to defeat him honourably. Others claimed that Jaken had fallen at the feet of the Western prince and grovelled to be allowed to serve him after his life was saved by Lord Sesshoumaru. Still other stories said that Jaken had summoned the prince of the West here himself and had planned to give up the throne from the very beginning. Others insisted that Jaken-sama was going to temporarily leave for the Western Lands for the purpose of gaining knowledge.
Fortunately, this worked to Jaken’s advantage since till he handed over command to Sesshoumaru, he could not have his subjects know that he had pledged a life of servitude to the Western Prince. They had to believe that he was merely making a diplomatic decision with another Lord, as an equal, because if the truth leaked out, they would not accept his commands regarding his successor but would attempt rebellion and the land would fall into chaos. In order to ensure stability and peace in the land, he had to show that it was he who was appointing the new representative, not the prince of some foreign land.
Since there were so many rumours flying around, people didn’t know what to believe and they would naturally turn to the king to confirm or disconfirm the rumours. Then no matter if the guards insisted he was lying and they had seen him bow to Sesshoumaru; the people would assume they were doing it for attention because from what the people knew of king Jaken, it was hardly probable.
So, the next day in court, Jaken made the necessary announcements, declaring that for political reasons, he was going to surrender command to a representative of Lord Inu no Taisho and that he himself would be travelling with Lord Sesshoumaru to the Western Lands for an undetermined amount of time.
There were mild protests and uncertainty. Jaken saw the gaze of the nobles grow calculating and he announced the transfer of military power into the hands of the new representative. The current heads were outraged and Jaken took the opportunity to announce how Sesshoumaru-sama had proved his allegiance to the Land Of Hideyori by killing the banshee. The implicit message was that the demon Lord was powerful enough to defeat a banshee and that he would not hesitate to use that power to bring traitors in line if that was what was necessary.
Word was sent to Lord Inu no Taisho that Lord Jaken had agreed to the transfer of power. Sesshoumaru and his entourage remained as royal guests till the representatives arrived and in the meantime, Jaken sorted out any outstanding matters and set his affairs in order.
It felt weird, Jaken reflected, to be so swiftly preparing to leave behind everything that he had built his life around. But his gut told him he was doing the right thing. The demon Lord had come into his life like a whirlwind and upset all his routine but his arrival was a blast of fresh air, that missing adventure that the lonely lord had been searching for so long. His destiny was not in this desolate, unfeeling kingdom full of treachery and deceit. His destiny lay wherever Lord Sesshoumaru was.
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The day of their departure finally arrived. The representative of the Western Lands – a stern, diligent, bespectacled fellow - had been introduced in court and duly appointed. All loose ends had been tied up and now, there was nothing left for Jaken to do other than bid a quick farewell to the people gathered in the town square and then leave with his new Master.
As he left the castle with a few belongings over his shoulder, Jaken cast one last look back at the place that had been his home for so many years and realized that he didn’t feel a twinge of regret. In fact, he had felt more sentimental when he had left his birth home to move into the castle when he’d won power. Every place he’d stayed at during his extensive travels had felt more like home than this cold, imposing castle.
So, with a spring in his step, he turned away from his long-time home and walked towards the border of the city where Sesshoumaru and his entourage were waiting…well, at least he hoped they were waiting. He wouldn’t put it past the demon Lord to leave without him if he took too long.
As the white figure that was Sesshoumaru came into view, Jaken reflected that the demon Lord’s rage had calmed surprisingly well. He had expected severe repercussions after trying to hurt his precious slave but Sesshoumaru had not laid a hand on him. He had been quite civil throughout the past few days when the transfer of power took place. Not a word had been spoken about Jaken’s transgressions or the promise of punishment that he had seen in the Lord’s furious eyes.
It might be that Sesshoumaru’s face rarely betrayed his thoughts. Even after a lifetime spent as a political head, Jaken had never met anyone who was so hard to read. Still, he was reasonably sure Sesshoumaru harboured no ill-feelings towards him. No one could be quite so poker faced…right?
When he came closer, he saw that the royal carriage, the servants’ carriage and the gurads on horseback were all in place, ready to leave. Sesshoumaru seemed just about to get into his carriage; the door was open. The hateful slave was standing quietly next to him. Jaken saw the demon Lord give the hanyou a look and Inuyasha happily climbed into the carriage and sat down on the floor. Behind Sesshoumaru, Jaken scowled. Their ride would be somewhat soured by the fact that the hanyou would be present with he and Lord Sesshoumaru. The child’s supposed innocence and submissive behaviour grated on his nerves.
He walked towards the carriage and moved to get in after Inuyasha, unaware of the demon Lord’s dangerously amused eyes silently following him.
“Jaken.”
He turned with one foot on the carriage floor and hands on the sides, prepared to climb in.
“Do not presume to get above yourself,” Sesshoumaru said coldly. “A servant’s place is not in his Lord’s ride. Go get into the cart.”
Jaken paled at the stinging rebuke. He was going to travel with those filthy servants? The very idea made him shudder.
“Bu-but Sesshoumaru-sama-!” he protested. He glanced in hatred at the hanyou watching the interaction. He was being humiliated in front of the slave and all the servants of the household.
The demon Lord stared down at him steadily. He held the gaze for a few seconds, then looked down and away. It was all that hanyou’s fault!
“Yes, my Lord,” he said dejectedly and traipsed over to the servants’ cart. Yes, he had chosen this life but he had not anticipated how much of a blow to his ego it would be to be actually treated like a worthless servant. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he had expected special treatment – he was a Lord, after all, not a commoner like these filth he was now stuck with. But Sesshoumaru-sama was a hard master; it seemed he didn’t bother about his new servant’s feelings at all when establishing his authority.
And maybe that is why he had chosen him in the first place.
________________________________________________________________ ___________
After returning from a mission, Sesshoumaru’s first priority as the prince and heir, was to report to either his father or mother.
So, the demon Lord went to the room where usually tactical meetings with military generals were held, after having been informed that his father had just finished a meeting there.
________________________________________________________________ __________
Inu no Taisho was pacing.
Ever since he’d got his son’s letter with and official request to send the Western Lands representative, he’d been worried. If it wasn’t for a fact that it took days for a messenger to go back and forth and that Sesshoumaru would return faster than the letter, he would have demanded to know what had taken place.
Now that the prince was back, he didn’t look forward to any declarations of war that his son had surely brought upon him; or at the very least, made a few new enemies; the boy seemed to have a knack for it. Without even trying, he seemed to make enemies wherever he went. He had never expected him to succeed on this mission; it was one where even his most skilled diplomats had failed. Of course, it would have helped if Teru were alive; the man had been very good at his job but the bastard just had to fuck it up by messing with his mate. Of course, Tsukiko had been perfectly justified in doing what she did but that didn’t change the fact that it was a nuisance to replace the diplomat and train a new batch of guards. Once this mission had gone south, Tsukiko had been prepared to step in with her unmatched diplomatic skills that even Taisho could never quite compare with. It was part of Sesshoumaru’s training to take on tasks more difficult than he could handle, to push his limits.
But when Sesshoumaru had sent him a letter saying the mission was accomplished, needless to say, he’d had his doubts.
So the first question that he asked his son when he walked through the door and bowed was:
“Is he alive?”
Sesshoumaru looked mildly offended. “Yes.”
Taisho narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure?”
Sesshoumaru gave him an exasperated look. “Yes.”
Taisho was silent for a moment, taking this information in. Then-
“How?”
Sesshoumaru frowned. “You said you wanted him alive…”
Taisho stared at him for a long moment. It was theoretically possible, he supposed, that his son had taken his advice and was working on his interpersonal skills and that, after putting in considerable hard work since the last time Taisho had lectured him on the importance of being more tactful, he was able to successfully secure a very difficult diplomatic victory.
On the other, hand-
Taisho narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”
Sesshoumaru blinked. “I followed my Lord’s orders; the alliance between the two kingdoms is strengthened to the mutual satisfaction of the parties involved.”
Taisho gritted his teeth. Visions of dead, or incapacitated, bloody toads danced before his eyes.
“Mutual satisfaction?” he asked. “Really?”
Sesshoumaru smirked. “Indeed. In fact, I believe he can tell you his feelings on the matter himself.”
Taisho’s eyebrows went up. “You mean-“ Had he invited the other Lord over to the Western Lands as a gesture of their agreement and a token of hospitality? It was a good gesture but very unlike Sesshoumaru.
He frowned when Sesshoumaru glanced to the side and snapped his fingers. “Jaken.”
Taisho opened his mouth to reprimand his son for his rude behaviour but then the imp-like toad scuttled in and bowed low before the prince and then bowed to Taisho. “I am grateful to my Lord for accepting me in your service. I hope Sesshoumaru-sama finds me worthy.”
It took Inu no Taisho several centuries of practiced restraint to keep his jaw from dropping.
Sesshoumaru made a dismissive gesture and Jaken bowed to him, then to Taisho and left. Inu no Taisho stared at his son.
“I believe,” Sesshoumaru offered, “That it is customary to present a new servant of the household to the Lord of the Castle.”
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Jaken hurried out of the room from whence he’d been dismissed by his master. The Lord Inu no Taisho seemed impressive, though he had to say he was slightly disappointed. The rumours and legends surrounding him made him out to be some supernatural deity of wrath and justice. He seemed quite regular, by comparison, though he had the same powerful, controlled aura as his son.
Jaken was pulled out of his thoughts when he bumped into someone and fell over. After a lifetime spent with people of the same tribe, he wasn’t used to having to crane his neck and look up at people. As Lord of the Land, it had been natural for people to bow to him and to be at a position lower than him; it was disconcerting to be around taller demons.
“Hey, you alright?”
Jaken looked up. It was a young man, with hair tied up in a ponytail. By his air of authority and dominance, he seemed like nobility though that was unlikely since he’d just asked after a servant’s wellbeing. If this boy had truly been royalty, he would have been punished for being clumsy.
“Yes,” he said, getting to his feet.
The man stared at him with clear blue eyes and frowned. “Are you from Hideyori? Did you return with Sesshoumaru?”
Jaken was startled; who was this person, addressing the prince of the land with such familiarity? When he spoke again, his voice was more respectful and cautious.
“I did. I come as a servant to Lord Sesshoumaru.”
Kouga’s eyebrows shot up. “Jaken? As in Lord Jaken, leader of the people of Hideyori?”
Jaken nodded.
Kouga scratched the back of his head, looking dubiously down at the toad. “So…you just gave up your kingdom then?”
Kouga’s diplomatic skills were even worse than Sesshoumaru’s.
Jaken frowned at the young man’s rather impudent tone. “It was more than a fair bargain…in exchange for what Sesshoumaru-sama did for us.”
“And what did he do?”
Jaken looked away, a dreamy look in his eyes. “He forever liberated our tribe by slaying the abomination that prowled those lands for years…and he saved my life which is now his to claim. It is my happy obligation to serve my master in any way I can.”
Kouga felt his skin crawl on seeing the sappy look on the demon’s face. “Kiss ass,” he muttered, looking away.
Jaken scowled. “And who, might I ask, are you?” he demanded.
The blue-eyed demon gave him a superior look. “I am Prince Kouga of the Northern Wolf tribe and Lord Inu no Taisho’s guest. Now watch your tone, imp.”
Jaken bristled at the insult but said nothing. If demon really was who he said he was, it would not be prudent to antagonize him. At least he would wait to find out what kind of relations he shared with Sesshoumaru-sama.
_____________________________________________________ ______________________
Meanwhile with Sesshoumaru-
Taisho sighed exasperatedly. “You made the Lord of Hideyori a servant of this house?” Honestly, couldn’t he go on one mission without causing some mischief?
He frowned slightly when he saw a brief look of displeasure cross his son’s face. “It was…an unexpected consequence of my attempts to secure the alliance.”
Meaning Jaken had latched himself on to Sesshoumaru without instigation. Well.
Taisho raised a supercilious eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Sesshoumaru looked away and the look on his face was distinctly that of a slightly annoyed cat. “Yes, it is.”
Taisho deduced the little toad had done something that didn’t make his son very eager for his company but that was Sesshoumaru’s headache. All that he was concerned with was that the boy had done what he’d asked.
Though that didn’t mean he couldn’t rib him about it a little.
“Well, I hope you realize, son, that there as his Lord, you are now responsible for his wellbeing.”
Sesshoumaru gave him a look that said, don’t remind me. “He is under my protection.”
Taisho smirked at the careful wording. “Since you were the one who brought him here, you’re not allowed to kill him, son.”
Sesshoumaru looked slightly startled. He frowned. “But-“
“No buts,” Taisho interrupted. “You are not to kill him and he is not to meet with any potentially fatal ‘accidents.’”
The prince almost scowled. Why couldn’t the little bastard die now that all the diplomatic crap was over and his death wouldn’t ignite any wars? He suspected his father was having fun at his expense.
The glimmer of amusement in Taisho’s eyes confirmed his suspicions.
“As you wish,” he yielded with poor grace.
Taisho turned away to hide his smug smirk and dismissed his son. He could feel the boy’s glare boring into the back of his head before he bowed and left.
There was something very satisfying about pushing the brat’s buttons. Not to mention the irritating boy usually managed to one up him. Granted, he and Tsukiko were one of the very, very few people who managed to do that but it was still annoying. Under the circumstances, he had to admit that his current victory was rather satisfying; the problem of hideyori was resolved, Sesshoumaru was on his way to becoming an able diplomat though his methods were questionable, and now, the brat had an unwanted toad following him around. Life was pretty damned good.
It was only later that it occurred to Taisho that he had forgotten to make any stipulations about doing anything else to the toad apart from killing him.
He winced slightly. If Jaken had done anything to really piss off his son, the toad had his sympathies.
___________________________________________________________ ________________
Sesshoumaru exited the meeting with his father and summoned Raia, explaining Jaken’s situation to her. The older servant barely hid a smile at her Lord’s annoyance with the new addition. Sesshoumaru pretended not to notice.
When he finally headed for his chambers, he was looking forward to a relaxing time with his little puppy.
Unfortunately, when he entered, Inuyasha was on the rug by the fireplace but so was Kouga, firmly ensconced in his favourite armchair grinning gleefully up at him.
“So Inuyasha has just been telling me all about Jaken,” he began, smirking when Sesshoumaru glared at him and then went over to sit in another armchair. Inuyasha happily crawled over to him to sit at his feet and the demon Lord’s hand automatically went to his head, caressing and playing with the puppy’s ears.
“He’s delightful,” Kouga declared, reaching forward on the table to pick up a snack and pop it in his mouth.
Sesshoumaru’s eyes snapped up to glare at him. “Inuyasha told you that-?”
Kouga chuckled. “Oh no. I had the pleasure of meeting him. Interesting fellow, really. And he certainly seems to be…ahem…fond of you.”
He laughed at the look of disgust and horror on Sesshoumaru’s face. “So how’d it happen? Inuyasha here said something about the asshole trying to get you to leave him behind and then kill him.”
Sesshoumaru’s eyes hardened. “Jaken, for whatever reason, wanted Inuyasha to remain behind in exchange for abdicating the throne, on the argument that his skills were more valuable than the puppy’s. I…disagreed.”
Kouga knew his friend well enough to know that it was most likely a violent disagreement.
“And at what point exactly did you save his life?” he asked.
Sesshoumaru reached forward to pick up a snack from the bowl on the table.
“There was an unexpected banshee attack in which Jaken was…unfortunately targeted.”
Kouga gave him a withering look. “Unfortunately, yeah...”
Sesshoumaru looked up. “He abandoned his people to the mercy of the banshee so I…persuaded her to target the king instead of innocent people.”
Kouga nodded. Everyone knew honourable fights were always between warriors, never with unrelated, innocent bystanders. Any ruler who overlooked that deserved whatever he got. “Well that son of a bitch. And then you saved his life and then claimed it in return?”
Sesshoumaru shook his head. “My intention was only to get him to abdicate and leave the lands. It was he who got it in his head for whatever reason that he wanted to be a servant of this house.”
Kouga’s amusement returned at the disgust in the demon Lord’s voice. He knew first-hand how annoying unwanted lackeys could be. As the strongest young leader in clans full of oldies, Kouga himself was seen as very desirable by far too many ordinary men and women who were attracted to his power, his rugged beauty and wild aura. While most, he turned away, some he could not because of political reasons.
“Well, I think you two make a great pair…” When Sesshoumaru’s eyes turned chilling, he hastily added. “…as Master and servant, of course. What else did you think I meant?”
The last question was also directed towards Inuyasha who, not having understood any of the innuendos, looked questioningly from Kouga to his Master.”
The piece of snack that Sesshoumaru threw at Kouga’s head was, unfortunately, not enough to swerve the wolf demon from that topic of conversation.
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Jaken entered the servants quarters, led by Raia. The servants who were there, working on odd chores or taking a brief respite from their work turned to look at the newcomer. Rumour had it that this was the Lord of another land who’d been subdued by Sesshoumaru-sama. Everyone was curious to see how he was.
Jaken let his gaze roam over the room, shrewd eyes assessing everyone swiftly. Demons or humans, in the Western lands or in Hideyori, years of travel had taught him that people, after all, were people. However powerful or kind or honourable the ruler, there would always be dissatisfaction, discontent and those were the people who would give him all the information he needed to find Lord Sesshoumaru’s weaknesses, his sore spots and most importantly, find a way to get rid of that hanyou brat. It would not take long to single out those who were waiting for an opportunity to raise their heads in rebellion.
Raia swiftly explained the rules. He nodded distractedly, waiting impatiently to get to his duties so he could be close to Sesshoumaru-sama. But then Raia began to list his chores – they general chores, around the castle.
“Wait,” he interrupted. “I’m not a palace servant,” he told her. “I am a servant only to Sesshoumaru-sama. I serve him alone and no one else.”
Raia looked down at him impassively. “These are Sesshoumaru-sama’s instructions that you be assigned work as any other servant. He has not said to assign you as his personal servant.”
The blood drained from Jaken’s face. To work as a lowly labourer in this palace? With these sweaty, dirty peasants?
“But-“ he began but Raia silenced him with a look.
“It is not upto me. If you have any problems, take it up with Sesshoumaru-sama when you see him.”
“And how will I see him?” Jaken asked. None of his duties seemed to include anything even remotely connected to the prince.
Raia raised an eyebrow. “Follow protocol. Request an audience.”
“But the hanyou always follows him around unbidden-“ he protested.
“Not unbidden,” Raia corrected. “Sesshoumaru-sama ordered it so.”
Jaken subsided but his mind was racing. If something were to happen to Inuyasha, the post of Sesshoumaru-sama’s personal servant would be wide open. There had to be a way…
____________________________________________________________ _______________
It didn’t take the experienced toad youkai more than a few days to get acquainted with the servants. The other youkai found him pleasant, humble, attentive – nothing like the arrogant Lord that they had anticipated. Soon, no one felt as though he had joined them only a few days ago; Jaken was now one of them.
Late one night, drinking with Jun, a fairly ordinary, medium level youkai who, Jaken learned, had worked on his land for a few years till he got a job as a palace servant. He was an honest, loyal kind of person, grateful to Sesshoumaru and Inu no Taisho but not too bright, which was perfect for Jaken. So after talking generally about general things to put the rather nervous man at ease, Jaken asked the crucial question.
“The hanyou, Inuyasha…who is he?”
Jun looked frightened and he glance around nervously before answering. “He is Lord Sesshoumaru’s pet. The Master picked him up from the streets and brought him to the palace.”
“Does he stay with us?” Jaken asked.
Jun shook his head. “He’s been staying with Sesshoumaru-sama in his chambers since he came here.”
Jaken’s cheek reddened. “In his chambers…that means he is-?”
The servant caught his meaning and nodded. “He wears the prince’s collar around his neck; Sesshoumaru-sama has marked him as his property.”
Jaken’s eyebrows shot up. “Sesshoumaru-sama’s collar? Isn’t that-?”
The man nodded. “Yes, it is a great honor. Sesshoumaru-sama is very hard to please and tolerates no disobedience.”
Jaken’s fist clenched. “That little bastard is-“
He was shocked when the servant clapped a hand over his mouth.
“Don’t,” he whispered fiercely. “Don’t ever say anything bad about that hanyou.”
Jaken frowned, moving the hand away from his mouth. “But why?” he asked. “Sesshoumaru-sama is nowhere around and even so, he is a mere slave…”
“He is Sesshoumaru-sama’s slave,” the man corrected him. “Sesshoumaru-sama’s wrath is nothing to be trifled with.”
He glanced around and lowered his voice.
“Once, one of the servants, Teru, badmouthed Inuyasha even after the Master warned him.”
Jaken looked at him curiously. “So? What happened?”
The servant wrung his hands nervously. “Sesshoumaru-sama tore his tongue out.”
Despite himself, Jaken’s heart missed a beat. “Tore his tongue out?? All for insulting that hanyou slave?”
He had not thought Sesshoumaru-sama was capable of such cruelty.
The servant nodded. “So if you know what’s good for you, don’t even dare to look at something that belongs to Sesshoumaru-sama wrongly.”
Jaken nodded slowly. “Is he a cruel Master?” Jaken asked. “I am here only as a servant to Sesshoumaru-sama.”
The servant looked uneasy. “Well, he is a just master,” he said at last. “The good part is that he is strong and powerful and treats his retainers well but…”
“Yes?” Jaken encouraged as he broke off.
“He…well, he is not very patient and he brooks no disobedience. And he doesn’t give second chances.”
Jaken nodded, resolve hardening in his eyes. He was going to win Sesshoumaru-sama over, definitely.
___________________________________________________________ ________________
“Are you Jaken?”
Jaken turned around, startled by the low whisper in the darkness of his room.
A few days had passed since his conversation with Jun. From the other servants, Jaken had learned about a lot of happenings in the castle though he knew he had to take it with a pinch of salt. Uneducated, mostly illiterate servants were not the most reliable of sources since stories tended to get highly distorted from being told and retold. Besides, they were too fond of boasting what they knew to tell the whole truth. Even so, it had so far been frustratingly difficult to get anyone to speak any ill of the Lord or the prince, even though most spoke furtively about Sesshoumaru and the Lady of the Western Land’s quick temper.
Even more frustrating, no one would utter a word against Inuyasha. His subtle probes made them clamp up stubbornly and Jaken knew any more insistent inquiries would get him reported to the demon Lord. It was proving unnecessarily difficult to find a way to get rid of a hanyou slave.
It was now the middle of the night and Jaken had been roused from sleep by small, almost imperceptible movements in the room an accompanying flare of youki. Jaken turned in bed, squinting his eyes to try and see in the almost entirely dark room.
Jaken looked at the newcomer carefully.The level of youki was very high. It didn’t look like it was a servant; it looked like a noble.
“Yes,” he said finally, knowing there was no way he would be able to match him if he decided to do something.
The figure turned away. “Follow me.”
Jaken didn’t move. “Why?” he asked cautiously.
The figure – a man by the looks of it – turned. “Rumour has it that you hold a grudge against the hanyou slave.”
Jaken’s eyes hardened. This could either be the blessing he was waiting for or it would be the end of him.
“Who are you?” he asked.
Even in the dark, Jaken could see a gleam of fangs as the figure smirked. “I am Gaeten.”
________________________________________________________ ___________________
Next morning, the servants who had befriended Jaken smiled in amusement. The toad demon, who was usually pretty mellow, seemed ecstatic today. He was almost bouncing around in his joy, grinning at everyone, though he wouldn’t tell what it was that had made him so happy.
Jaken bore everyone’s amusement uncomplainingly. What did it matter what these idiots thought? Finally he was going to succeed in what he had planned to do ever since he had come here. Inuyasha was going to be taken care of. The angel that he’d been praying for had come in the form of Gaeten. He didn’t know what had transpired between the hanyou and him but he seemed to hate the boy more than Jaken himself did.
Their plan was perfect; since as long as Sesshoumaru-sama was around, there was no way of touching him Inuyasha would be taken care of while Sesshoumaru was away from the castle. And since the dratted pup seemed to follow him everywhere he went, Gaeten had arranged it such that he would be out of the castle with his father on an official visit where he could not possibly take a hanyou slave.
The slave would be at his mercy and disposed off before they returned. It had taken the tiger demon months of painstaking planning to know their schedule well enough to arrange it so that the entire royal family, including Kouga, would be away from the castle. It seemed like an inordinate amount of trouble to go through for a mere hanyou but if it was the only way he could be close to Sesshoumaru-sama, then so be it.
___________________________________________________________________ ________
Jaken had the pleasure of being present when Sesshoumaru informed Inuyasha that he would stay in his chambers and that he would be back soon. He had entered as innocuously as possible, with a tray of snacks, mumbling an apology about his usual servant being sick.
He had watched hatefully at the small signs of affection the demon Lord bestowed on the slave – a caress to his head, those intent golden eyes trained on him that made Inuyasha stammer and blush.
He obediently left the room at a look from the demon Lord, knowing Sesshoumaru-sama would never leave him alone with the slave.
But once he was safely out of earshot, Jaken returned on the pretext of having forgotten the snacks tray. He brushed past Inuyasha and whispered, “I hope you have said your goodbyes, hanyou.”
Inuyasha turned to him, startled. “Wh-what?”
Jaken grinned nastily. “You won’t be seeing him again.”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened. “Why-?”
Ever since what had happened in Hideyori, Inuyasha had not been able to figure out what it was that made the toad demon so much.
Jaken’s eyes suddenly filled with hatred. “You greedy bastard, taking advantage of Sesshoumaru-sama’s generosity like this…you know you’re worthless, not worthy of the dirt under his feet, and yet you continue to revel in his attention. It will come to an end today. Sesshoumaru-sama will henceforth have a more deserving servant.
Inuyasha froze and memories crashed into his mind – of his life before the demon Lord, of the slavers, of being a homeless stray until his Master had claimed him as his puppy – this…this was exactly what the slavers had said. And he had forgotten…
It was strange how much a person could change within the span of a few weeks; a few months ago, it would not even have occurred to him to wonder why someone wanted to hurt him; he had always assumed that was how a hanyou’s life was.
But these past days with his master had taught him different. Lord Inu no Taisho and Lady Tsukiko treated him no different than any other servants. He had come to see Kouga-sama as a sort of protective older brother. After the incident with Teru, no servant of the castle had behaved badly towards him. He had just started to think that maybe, maybe he didn’t deserve to be treated like dirt, like the way the slavers had taught him he ought to be.
And he had thought, if Sesshoumaru-sama found him useful, surely he was not completely worthless…
But here was this toad demon, telling him he was, reminding him of all the things he had so wanted to forget.
Inuyasha saw the smirking, mocking look on the demon’s face and felt, low in his chest, a sensation he could not remember ever having felt before; anger.
They had no right…these demons had no right to make him feel unworthy of his Master. Sesshoumaru-sama had claimed him, his life. How dare they try and keep him away, time and again, when it was Sesshoumaru-sama’s wish that he stay with him?
Inuyasha bowed his head, bangs falling low over his face, beginning to breathe fast. His hands clenched into fists.
They had no right…they had no right!
Jaken smirked smugly at the slightly shaking hanyou, mistaking his reaction for fear and upset.
Unnoticed by Jaken, for a brief second, Inuyasha’s eyes flashed red.
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A/N: Review please! ^.^
Converting /tmp/phpHqA9La to /dev/stdout
The news that Lord Jaken was abdicating the throne spread like wild fire; the guards who had been in the room when Jaken pledged his life to Sesshoumaru lost no time in telling everyone they knew.
There was shock, disbelief, happiness, distress, fear. In the process of telling, the facts got completely out of proportion. Soon, stories were being told of how Jaken-sama had killed the banshee and the strange prince of the Western Lands had then cast a spell on their Lord because he was unable to defeat him honourably. Others claimed that Jaken had fallen at the feet of the Western prince and grovelled to be allowed to serve him after his life was saved by Lord Sesshoumaru. Still other stories said that Jaken had summoned the prince of the West here himself and had planned to give up the throne from the very beginning. Others insisted that Jaken-sama was going to temporarily leave for the Western Lands for the purpose of gaining knowledge.
Fortunately, this worked to Jaken’s advantage since till he handed over command to Sesshoumaru, he could not have his subjects know that he had pledged a life of servitude to the Western Prince. They had to believe that he was merely making a diplomatic decision with another Lord, as an equal, because if the truth leaked out, they would not accept his commands regarding his successor but would attempt rebellion and the land would fall into chaos. In order to ensure stability and peace in the land, he had to show that it was he who was appointing the new representative, not the prince of some foreign land.
Since there were so many rumours flying around, people didn’t know what to believe and they would naturally turn to the king to confirm or disconfirm the rumours. Then no matter if the guards insisted he was lying and they had seen him bow to Sesshoumaru; the people would assume they were doing it for attention because from what the people knew of king Jaken, it was hardly probable.
So, the next day in court, Jaken made the necessary announcements, declaring that for political reasons, he was going to surrender command to a representative of Lord Inu no Taisho and that he himself would be travelling with Lord Sesshoumaru to the Western Lands for an undetermined amount of time.
There were mild protests and uncertainty. Jaken saw the gaze of the nobles grow calculating and he announced the transfer of military power into the hands of the new representative. The current heads were outraged and Jaken took the opportunity to announce how Sesshoumaru-sama had proved his allegiance to the Land Of Hideyori by killing the banshee. The implicit message was that the demon Lord was powerful enough to defeat a banshee and that he would not hesitate to use that power to bring traitors in line if that was what was necessary.
Word was sent to Lord Inu no Taisho that Lord Jaken had agreed to the transfer of power. Sesshoumaru and his entourage remained as royal guests till the representatives arrived and in the meantime, Jaken sorted out any outstanding matters and set his affairs in order.
It felt weird, Jaken reflected, to be so swiftly preparing to leave behind everything that he had built his life around. But his gut told him he was doing the right thing. The demon Lord had come into his life like a whirlwind and upset all his routine but his arrival was a blast of fresh air, that missing adventure that the lonely lord had been searching for so long. His destiny was not in this desolate, unfeeling kingdom full of treachery and deceit. His destiny lay wherever Lord Sesshoumaru was.
__________________________________________________________________ _______
The day of their departure finally arrived. The representative of the Western Lands – a stern, diligent, bespectacled fellow - had been introduced in court and duly appointed. All loose ends had been tied up and now, there was nothing left for Jaken to do other than bid a quick farewell to the people gathered in the town square and then leave with his new Master.
As he left the castle with a few belongings over his shoulder, Jaken cast one last look back at the place that had been his home for so many years and realized that he didn’t feel a twinge of regret. In fact, he had felt more sentimental when he had left his birth home to move into the castle when he’d won power. Every place he’d stayed at during his extensive travels had felt more like home than this cold, imposing castle.
So, with a spring in his step, he turned away from his long-time home and walked towards the border of the city where Sesshoumaru and his entourage were waiting…well, at least he hoped they were waiting. He wouldn’t put it past the demon Lord to leave without him if he took too long.
As the white figure that was Sesshoumaru came into view, Jaken reflected that the demon Lord’s rage had calmed surprisingly well. He had expected severe repercussions after trying to hurt his precious slave but Sesshoumaru had not laid a hand on him. He had been quite civil throughout the past few days when the transfer of power took place. Not a word had been spoken about Jaken’s transgressions or the promise of punishment that he had seen in the Lord’s furious eyes.
It might be that Sesshoumaru’s face rarely betrayed his thoughts. Even after a lifetime spent as a political head, Jaken had never met anyone who was so hard to read. Still, he was reasonably sure Sesshoumaru harboured no ill-feelings towards him. No one could be quite so poker faced…right?
When he came closer, he saw that the royal carriage, the servants’ carriage and the gurads on horseback were all in place, ready to leave. Sesshoumaru seemed just about to get into his carriage; the door was open. The hateful slave was standing quietly next to him. Jaken saw the demon Lord give the hanyou a look and Inuyasha happily climbed into the carriage and sat down on the floor. Behind Sesshoumaru, Jaken scowled. Their ride would be somewhat soured by the fact that the hanyou would be present with he and Lord Sesshoumaru. The child’s supposed innocence and submissive behaviour grated on his nerves.
He walked towards the carriage and moved to get in after Inuyasha, unaware of the demon Lord’s dangerously amused eyes silently following him.
“Jaken.”
He turned with one foot on the carriage floor and hands on the sides, prepared to climb in.
“Do not presume to get above yourself,” Sesshoumaru said coldly. “A servant’s place is not in his Lord’s ride. Go get into the cart.”
Jaken paled at the stinging rebuke. He was going to travel with those filthy servants? The very idea made him shudder.
“Bu-but Sesshoumaru-sama-!” he protested. He glanced in hatred at the hanyou watching the interaction. He was being humiliated in front of the slave and all the servants of the household.
The demon Lord stared down at him steadily. He held the gaze for a few seconds, then looked down and away. It was all that hanyou’s fault!
“Yes, my Lord,” he said dejectedly and traipsed over to the servants’ cart. Yes, he had chosen this life but he had not anticipated how much of a blow to his ego it would be to be actually treated like a worthless servant. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he had expected special treatment – he was a Lord, after all, not a commoner like these filth he was now stuck with. But Sesshoumaru-sama was a hard master; it seemed he didn’t bother about his new servant’s feelings at all when establishing his authority.
And maybe that is why he had chosen him in the first place.
________________________________________________________________ ___________
After returning from a mission, Sesshoumaru’s first priority as the prince and heir, was to report to either his father or mother.
So, the demon Lord went to the room where usually tactical meetings with military generals were held, after having been informed that his father had just finished a meeting there.
________________________________________________________________ __________
Inu no Taisho was pacing.
Ever since he’d got his son’s letter with and official request to send the Western Lands representative, he’d been worried. If it wasn’t for a fact that it took days for a messenger to go back and forth and that Sesshoumaru would return faster than the letter, he would have demanded to know what had taken place.
Now that the prince was back, he didn’t look forward to any declarations of war that his son had surely brought upon him; or at the very least, made a few new enemies; the boy seemed to have a knack for it. Without even trying, he seemed to make enemies wherever he went. He had never expected him to succeed on this mission; it was one where even his most skilled diplomats had failed. Of course, it would have helped if Teru were alive; the man had been very good at his job but the bastard just had to fuck it up by messing with his mate. Of course, Tsukiko had been perfectly justified in doing what she did but that didn’t change the fact that it was a nuisance to replace the diplomat and train a new batch of guards. Once this mission had gone south, Tsukiko had been prepared to step in with her unmatched diplomatic skills that even Taisho could never quite compare with. It was part of Sesshoumaru’s training to take on tasks more difficult than he could handle, to push his limits.
But when Sesshoumaru had sent him a letter saying the mission was accomplished, needless to say, he’d had his doubts.
So the first question that he asked his son when he walked through the door and bowed was:
“Is he alive?”
Sesshoumaru looked mildly offended. “Yes.”
Taisho narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure?”
Sesshoumaru gave him an exasperated look. “Yes.”
Taisho was silent for a moment, taking this information in. Then-
“How?”
Sesshoumaru frowned. “You said you wanted him alive…”
Taisho stared at him for a long moment. It was theoretically possible, he supposed, that his son had taken his advice and was working on his interpersonal skills and that, after putting in considerable hard work since the last time Taisho had lectured him on the importance of being more tactful, he was able to successfully secure a very difficult diplomatic victory.
On the other, hand-
Taisho narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”
Sesshoumaru blinked. “I followed my Lord’s orders; the alliance between the two kingdoms is strengthened to the mutual satisfaction of the parties involved.”
Taisho gritted his teeth. Visions of dead, or incapacitated, bloody toads danced before his eyes.
“Mutual satisfaction?” he asked. “Really?”
Sesshoumaru smirked. “Indeed. In fact, I believe he can tell you his feelings on the matter himself.”
Taisho’s eyebrows went up. “You mean-“ Had he invited the other Lord over to the Western Lands as a gesture of their agreement and a token of hospitality? It was a good gesture but very unlike Sesshoumaru.
He frowned when Sesshoumaru glanced to the side and snapped his fingers. “Jaken.”
Taisho opened his mouth to reprimand his son for his rude behaviour but then the imp-like toad scuttled in and bowed low before the prince and then bowed to Taisho. “I am grateful to my Lord for accepting me in your service. I hope Sesshoumaru-sama finds me worthy.”
It took Inu no Taisho several centuries of practiced restraint to keep his jaw from dropping.
Sesshoumaru made a dismissive gesture and Jaken bowed to him, then to Taisho and left. Inu no Taisho stared at his son.
“I believe,” Sesshoumaru offered, “That it is customary to present a new servant of the household to the Lord of the Castle.”
________________________________________________________ ___________________
Jaken hurried out of the room from whence he’d been dismissed by his master. The Lord Inu no Taisho seemed impressive, though he had to say he was slightly disappointed. The rumours and legends surrounding him made him out to be some supernatural deity of wrath and justice. He seemed quite regular, by comparison, though he had the same powerful, controlled aura as his son.
Jaken was pulled out of his thoughts when he bumped into someone and fell over. After a lifetime spent with people of the same tribe, he wasn’t used to having to crane his neck and look up at people. As Lord of the Land, it had been natural for people to bow to him and to be at a position lower than him; it was disconcerting to be around taller demons.
“Hey, you alright?”
Jaken looked up. It was a young man, with hair tied up in a ponytail. By his air of authority and dominance, he seemed like nobility though that was unlikely since he’d just asked after a servant’s wellbeing. If this boy had truly been royalty, he would have been punished for being clumsy.
“Yes,” he said, getting to his feet.
The man stared at him with clear blue eyes and frowned. “Are you from Hideyori? Did you return with Sesshoumaru?”
Jaken was startled; who was this person, addressing the prince of the land with such familiarity? When he spoke again, his voice was more respectful and cautious.
“I did. I come as a servant to Lord Sesshoumaru.”
Kouga’s eyebrows shot up. “Jaken? As in Lord Jaken, leader of the people of Hideyori?”
Jaken nodded.
Kouga scratched the back of his head, looking dubiously down at the toad. “So…you just gave up your kingdom then?”
Kouga’s diplomatic skills were even worse than Sesshoumaru’s.
Jaken frowned at the young man’s rather impudent tone. “It was more than a fair bargain…in exchange for what Sesshoumaru-sama did for us.”
“And what did he do?”
Jaken looked away, a dreamy look in his eyes. “He forever liberated our tribe by slaying the abomination that prowled those lands for years…and he saved my life which is now his to claim. It is my happy obligation to serve my master in any way I can.”
Kouga felt his skin crawl on seeing the sappy look on the demon’s face. “Kiss ass,” he muttered, looking away.
Jaken scowled. “And who, might I ask, are you?” he demanded.
The blue-eyed demon gave him a superior look. “I am Prince Kouga of the Northern Wolf tribe and Lord Inu no Taisho’s guest. Now watch your tone, imp.”
Jaken bristled at the insult but said nothing. If demon really was who he said he was, it would not be prudent to antagonize him. At least he would wait to find out what kind of relations he shared with Sesshoumaru-sama.
_____________________________________________________ ______________________
Meanwhile with Sesshoumaru-
Taisho sighed exasperatedly. “You made the Lord of Hideyori a servant of this house?” Honestly, couldn’t he go on one mission without causing some mischief?
He frowned slightly when he saw a brief look of displeasure cross his son’s face. “It was…an unexpected consequence of my attempts to secure the alliance.”
Meaning Jaken had latched himself on to Sesshoumaru without instigation. Well.
Taisho raised a supercilious eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Sesshoumaru looked away and the look on his face was distinctly that of a slightly annoyed cat. “Yes, it is.”
Taisho deduced the little toad had done something that didn’t make his son very eager for his company but that was Sesshoumaru’s headache. All that he was concerned with was that the boy had done what he’d asked.
Though that didn’t mean he couldn’t rib him about it a little.
“Well, I hope you realize, son, that there as his Lord, you are now responsible for his wellbeing.”
Sesshoumaru gave him a look that said, don’t remind me. “He is under my protection.”
Taisho smirked at the careful wording. “Since you were the one who brought him here, you’re not allowed to kill him, son.”
Sesshoumaru looked slightly startled. He frowned. “But-“
“No buts,” Taisho interrupted. “You are not to kill him and he is not to meet with any potentially fatal ‘accidents.’”
The prince almost scowled. Why couldn’t the little bastard die now that all the diplomatic crap was over and his death wouldn’t ignite any wars? He suspected his father was having fun at his expense.
The glimmer of amusement in Taisho’s eyes confirmed his suspicions.
“As you wish,” he yielded with poor grace.
Taisho turned away to hide his smug smirk and dismissed his son. He could feel the boy’s glare boring into the back of his head before he bowed and left.
There was something very satisfying about pushing the brat’s buttons. Not to mention the irritating boy usually managed to one up him. Granted, he and Tsukiko were one of the very, very few people who managed to do that but it was still annoying. Under the circumstances, he had to admit that his current victory was rather satisfying; the problem of hideyori was resolved, Sesshoumaru was on his way to becoming an able diplomat though his methods were questionable, and now, the brat had an unwanted toad following him around. Life was pretty damned good.
It was only later that it occurred to Taisho that he had forgotten to make any stipulations about doing anything else to the toad apart from killing him.
He winced slightly. If Jaken had done anything to really piss off his son, the toad had his sympathies.
___________________________________________________________ ________________
Sesshoumaru exited the meeting with his father and summoned Raia, explaining Jaken’s situation to her. The older servant barely hid a smile at her Lord’s annoyance with the new addition. Sesshoumaru pretended not to notice.
When he finally headed for his chambers, he was looking forward to a relaxing time with his little puppy.
Unfortunately, when he entered, Inuyasha was on the rug by the fireplace but so was Kouga, firmly ensconced in his favourite armchair grinning gleefully up at him.
“So Inuyasha has just been telling me all about Jaken,” he began, smirking when Sesshoumaru glared at him and then went over to sit in another armchair. Inuyasha happily crawled over to him to sit at his feet and the demon Lord’s hand automatically went to his head, caressing and playing with the puppy’s ears.
“He’s delightful,” Kouga declared, reaching forward on the table to pick up a snack and pop it in his mouth.
Sesshoumaru’s eyes snapped up to glare at him. “Inuyasha told you that-?”
Kouga chuckled. “Oh no. I had the pleasure of meeting him. Interesting fellow, really. And he certainly seems to be…ahem…fond of you.”
He laughed at the look of disgust and horror on Sesshoumaru’s face. “So how’d it happen? Inuyasha here said something about the asshole trying to get you to leave him behind and then kill him.”
Sesshoumaru’s eyes hardened. “Jaken, for whatever reason, wanted Inuyasha to remain behind in exchange for abdicating the throne, on the argument that his skills were more valuable than the puppy’s. I…disagreed.”
Kouga knew his friend well enough to know that it was most likely a violent disagreement.
“And at what point exactly did you save his life?” he asked.
Sesshoumaru reached forward to pick up a snack from the bowl on the table.
“There was an unexpected banshee attack in which Jaken was…unfortunately targeted.”
Kouga gave him a withering look. “Unfortunately, yeah...”
Sesshoumaru looked up. “He abandoned his people to the mercy of the banshee so I…persuaded her to target the king instead of innocent people.”
Kouga nodded. Everyone knew honourable fights were always between warriors, never with unrelated, innocent bystanders. Any ruler who overlooked that deserved whatever he got. “Well that son of a bitch. And then you saved his life and then claimed it in return?”
Sesshoumaru shook his head. “My intention was only to get him to abdicate and leave the lands. It was he who got it in his head for whatever reason that he wanted to be a servant of this house.”
Kouga’s amusement returned at the disgust in the demon Lord’s voice. He knew first-hand how annoying unwanted lackeys could be. As the strongest young leader in clans full of oldies, Kouga himself was seen as very desirable by far too many ordinary men and women who were attracted to his power, his rugged beauty and wild aura. While most, he turned away, some he could not because of political reasons.
“Well, I think you two make a great pair…” When Sesshoumaru’s eyes turned chilling, he hastily added. “…as Master and servant, of course. What else did you think I meant?”
The last question was also directed towards Inuyasha who, not having understood any of the innuendos, looked questioningly from Kouga to his Master.”
The piece of snack that Sesshoumaru threw at Kouga’s head was, unfortunately, not enough to swerve the wolf demon from that topic of conversation.
_________________________________________________________ ________________
Jaken entered the servants quarters, led by Raia. The servants who were there, working on odd chores or taking a brief respite from their work turned to look at the newcomer. Rumour had it that this was the Lord of another land who’d been subdued by Sesshoumaru-sama. Everyone was curious to see how he was.
Jaken let his gaze roam over the room, shrewd eyes assessing everyone swiftly. Demons or humans, in the Western lands or in Hideyori, years of travel had taught him that people, after all, were people. However powerful or kind or honourable the ruler, there would always be dissatisfaction, discontent and those were the people who would give him all the information he needed to find Lord Sesshoumaru’s weaknesses, his sore spots and most importantly, find a way to get rid of that hanyou brat. It would not take long to single out those who were waiting for an opportunity to raise their heads in rebellion.
Raia swiftly explained the rules. He nodded distractedly, waiting impatiently to get to his duties so he could be close to Sesshoumaru-sama. But then Raia began to list his chores – they general chores, around the castle.
“Wait,” he interrupted. “I’m not a palace servant,” he told her. “I am a servant only to Sesshoumaru-sama. I serve him alone and no one else.”
Raia looked down at him impassively. “These are Sesshoumaru-sama’s instructions that you be assigned work as any other servant. He has not said to assign you as his personal servant.”
The blood drained from Jaken’s face. To work as a lowly labourer in this palace? With these sweaty, dirty peasants?
“But-“ he began but Raia silenced him with a look.
“It is not upto me. If you have any problems, take it up with Sesshoumaru-sama when you see him.”
“And how will I see him?” Jaken asked. None of his duties seemed to include anything even remotely connected to the prince.
Raia raised an eyebrow. “Follow protocol. Request an audience.”
“But the hanyou always follows him around unbidden-“ he protested.
“Not unbidden,” Raia corrected. “Sesshoumaru-sama ordered it so.”
Jaken subsided but his mind was racing. If something were to happen to Inuyasha, the post of Sesshoumaru-sama’s personal servant would be wide open. There had to be a way…
____________________________________________________________ _______________
It didn’t take the experienced toad youkai more than a few days to get acquainted with the servants. The other youkai found him pleasant, humble, attentive – nothing like the arrogant Lord that they had anticipated. Soon, no one felt as though he had joined them only a few days ago; Jaken was now one of them.
Late one night, drinking with Jun, a fairly ordinary, medium level youkai who, Jaken learned, had worked on his land for a few years till he got a job as a palace servant. He was an honest, loyal kind of person, grateful to Sesshoumaru and Inu no Taisho but not too bright, which was perfect for Jaken. So after talking generally about general things to put the rather nervous man at ease, Jaken asked the crucial question.
“The hanyou, Inuyasha…who is he?”
Jun looked frightened and he glance around nervously before answering. “He is Lord Sesshoumaru’s pet. The Master picked him up from the streets and brought him to the palace.”
“Does he stay with us?” Jaken asked.
Jun shook his head. “He’s been staying with Sesshoumaru-sama in his chambers since he came here.”
Jaken’s cheek reddened. “In his chambers…that means he is-?”
The servant caught his meaning and nodded. “He wears the prince’s collar around his neck; Sesshoumaru-sama has marked him as his property.”
Jaken’s eyebrows shot up. “Sesshoumaru-sama’s collar? Isn’t that-?”
The man nodded. “Yes, it is a great honor. Sesshoumaru-sama is very hard to please and tolerates no disobedience.”
Jaken’s fist clenched. “That little bastard is-“
He was shocked when the servant clapped a hand over his mouth.
“Don’t,” he whispered fiercely. “Don’t ever say anything bad about that hanyou.”
Jaken frowned, moving the hand away from his mouth. “But why?” he asked. “Sesshoumaru-sama is nowhere around and even so, he is a mere slave…”
“He is Sesshoumaru-sama’s slave,” the man corrected him. “Sesshoumaru-sama’s wrath is nothing to be trifled with.”
He glanced around and lowered his voice.
“Once, one of the servants, Teru, badmouthed Inuyasha even after the Master warned him.”
Jaken looked at him curiously. “So? What happened?”
The servant wrung his hands nervously. “Sesshoumaru-sama tore his tongue out.”
Despite himself, Jaken’s heart missed a beat. “Tore his tongue out?? All for insulting that hanyou slave?”
He had not thought Sesshoumaru-sama was capable of such cruelty.
The servant nodded. “So if you know what’s good for you, don’t even dare to look at something that belongs to Sesshoumaru-sama wrongly.”
Jaken nodded slowly. “Is he a cruel Master?” Jaken asked. “I am here only as a servant to Sesshoumaru-sama.”
The servant looked uneasy. “Well, he is a just master,” he said at last. “The good part is that he is strong and powerful and treats his retainers well but…”
“Yes?” Jaken encouraged as he broke off.
“He…well, he is not very patient and he brooks no disobedience. And he doesn’t give second chances.”
Jaken nodded, resolve hardening in his eyes. He was going to win Sesshoumaru-sama over, definitely.
___________________________________________________________ ________________
“Are you Jaken?”
Jaken turned around, startled by the low whisper in the darkness of his room.
A few days had passed since his conversation with Jun. From the other servants, Jaken had learned about a lot of happenings in the castle though he knew he had to take it with a pinch of salt. Uneducated, mostly illiterate servants were not the most reliable of sources since stories tended to get highly distorted from being told and retold. Besides, they were too fond of boasting what they knew to tell the whole truth. Even so, it had so far been frustratingly difficult to get anyone to speak any ill of the Lord or the prince, even though most spoke furtively about Sesshoumaru and the Lady of the Western Land’s quick temper.
Even more frustrating, no one would utter a word against Inuyasha. His subtle probes made them clamp up stubbornly and Jaken knew any more insistent inquiries would get him reported to the demon Lord. It was proving unnecessarily difficult to find a way to get rid of a hanyou slave.
It was now the middle of the night and Jaken had been roused from sleep by small, almost imperceptible movements in the room an accompanying flare of youki. Jaken turned in bed, squinting his eyes to try and see in the almost entirely dark room.
Jaken looked at the newcomer carefully.The level of youki was very high. It didn’t look like it was a servant; it looked like a noble.
“Yes,” he said finally, knowing there was no way he would be able to match him if he decided to do something.
The figure turned away. “Follow me.”
Jaken didn’t move. “Why?” he asked cautiously.
The figure – a man by the looks of it – turned. “Rumour has it that you hold a grudge against the hanyou slave.”
Jaken’s eyes hardened. This could either be the blessing he was waiting for or it would be the end of him.
“Who are you?” he asked.
Even in the dark, Jaken could see a gleam of fangs as the figure smirked. “I am Gaeten.”
________________________________________________________ ___________________
Next morning, the servants who had befriended Jaken smiled in amusement. The toad demon, who was usually pretty mellow, seemed ecstatic today. He was almost bouncing around in his joy, grinning at everyone, though he wouldn’t tell what it was that had made him so happy.
Jaken bore everyone’s amusement uncomplainingly. What did it matter what these idiots thought? Finally he was going to succeed in what he had planned to do ever since he had come here. Inuyasha was going to be taken care of. The angel that he’d been praying for had come in the form of Gaeten. He didn’t know what had transpired between the hanyou and him but he seemed to hate the boy more than Jaken himself did.
Their plan was perfect; since as long as Sesshoumaru-sama was around, there was no way of touching him Inuyasha would be taken care of while Sesshoumaru was away from the castle. And since the dratted pup seemed to follow him everywhere he went, Gaeten had arranged it such that he would be out of the castle with his father on an official visit where he could not possibly take a hanyou slave.
The slave would be at his mercy and disposed off before they returned. It had taken the tiger demon months of painstaking planning to know their schedule well enough to arrange it so that the entire royal family, including Kouga, would be away from the castle. It seemed like an inordinate amount of trouble to go through for a mere hanyou but if it was the only way he could be close to Sesshoumaru-sama, then so be it.
___________________________________________________________________ ________
Jaken had the pleasure of being present when Sesshoumaru informed Inuyasha that he would stay in his chambers and that he would be back soon. He had entered as innocuously as possible, with a tray of snacks, mumbling an apology about his usual servant being sick.
He had watched hatefully at the small signs of affection the demon Lord bestowed on the slave – a caress to his head, those intent golden eyes trained on him that made Inuyasha stammer and blush.
He obediently left the room at a look from the demon Lord, knowing Sesshoumaru-sama would never leave him alone with the slave.
But once he was safely out of earshot, Jaken returned on the pretext of having forgotten the snacks tray. He brushed past Inuyasha and whispered, “I hope you have said your goodbyes, hanyou.”
Inuyasha turned to him, startled. “Wh-what?”
Jaken grinned nastily. “You won’t be seeing him again.”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened. “Why-?”
Ever since what had happened in Hideyori, Inuyasha had not been able to figure out what it was that made the toad demon so much.
Jaken’s eyes suddenly filled with hatred. “You greedy bastard, taking advantage of Sesshoumaru-sama’s generosity like this…you know you’re worthless, not worthy of the dirt under his feet, and yet you continue to revel in his attention. It will come to an end today. Sesshoumaru-sama will henceforth have a more deserving servant.
Inuyasha froze and memories crashed into his mind – of his life before the demon Lord, of the slavers, of being a homeless stray until his Master had claimed him as his puppy – this…this was exactly what the slavers had said. And he had forgotten…
It was strange how much a person could change within the span of a few weeks; a few months ago, it would not even have occurred to him to wonder why someone wanted to hurt him; he had always assumed that was how a hanyou’s life was.
But these past days with his master had taught him different. Lord Inu no Taisho and Lady Tsukiko treated him no different than any other servants. He had come to see Kouga-sama as a sort of protective older brother. After the incident with Teru, no servant of the castle had behaved badly towards him. He had just started to think that maybe, maybe he didn’t deserve to be treated like dirt, like the way the slavers had taught him he ought to be.
And he had thought, if Sesshoumaru-sama found him useful, surely he was not completely worthless…
But here was this toad demon, telling him he was, reminding him of all the things he had so wanted to forget.
Inuyasha saw the smirking, mocking look on the demon’s face and felt, low in his chest, a sensation he could not remember ever having felt before; anger.
They had no right…these demons had no right to make him feel unworthy of his Master. Sesshoumaru-sama had claimed him, his life. How dare they try and keep him away, time and again, when it was Sesshoumaru-sama’s wish that he stay with him?
Inuyasha bowed his head, bangs falling low over his face, beginning to breathe fast. His hands clenched into fists.
They had no right…they had no right!
Jaken smirked smugly at the slightly shaking hanyou, mistaking his reaction for fear and upset.
Unnoticed by Jaken, for a brief second, Inuyasha’s eyes flashed red.
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A/N: Review please! ^.^
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