InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wishmaster ❯ From One Master to Another, Part 3 - Jaken ( Chapter 5 )

Inuyasha trembled as he returned to the inkpot. Sesshomaru had to be toying with him, just had to be. He had the Tetsusaiga within his grasp - he was helpless against his older brother - but Sesshomaru hadn't taken it.

'I can't take much more of this,' he thought tiredly. A single tear formed and rolled down his cheek. Idly, he brushed it away, paying no attention to the tear as he shuffled towards the bed. Within a moment, he slept as if he'd hadn't had any rest in a week. He never saw the tear crystalize nor bury itself within one of the many piles of pillows.

* * *

Jaken sat in the library, brooding silently. He'd had no doubts that the Tetsusaiga was now in Lord Sesshomaru's possession. Inuyasha was now a servant, a slave, to the youkai.

'Which is where he needs to be,' he thought darkly. 'Dead would be better. Kami knows what a pain he's been since his birth.'

The sound of someone entering the library caught his attention and he brought himself out of his dark musings. His jaw dropped as he saw Lord Sesshomaru take the inkpot and place it high on one of the shelves then place a barrier around it. At his side were his swords, Tokijin and Tensaiga, but no Tetsusaiga.

"Milord?"

"What is it, Jaken?"

"Where is the Tetsusaiga?" he inquired timidly.

"Inuyasha still has it," came the cool response. Jaken's jaw about hit the ground. Sesshomaru continued, "There'd be no gain in it for me, no satisfaction in just wishing for it. Maybe someday, when he's free from his bonds, I'll take it from him. But not now. Not now."

"Why the barrier around the inkpot, milord?" he managed to stutter out after a few moments of trying to compose himself. "Are you not going to keep it at your side?"

"No . . . It would be too easy for someone to steal from me, especially in a battle . . . He's better off this way."

Quietly, he stepped out of the library, leaving Jaken alone. The imp gazed contemplatively up at the deep-hued inkpot.

'So Inuyasha's been sealed in an inkpot . . . not entirely sealed . . . he can be called upon when the lid is taken off . . . Lord Sesshomaru must be waiting for Inuyasha's new master to come and retrieve him . . . but who would want a hanyou as a powerful slave?'

It was a question he didn't have the answer to. After all, what could a hanyou do that a full youkai couldn't?

'But then, it'd be ludicrous to take a full youkai as a slave like that,' he reasoned, leaving the library. 'I just don't see how it can be done. Maybe I should ask Lord Sesshomaru if I can question Inuyasha further. I'd hate to think of anyone trying to enslave him.'

He quickly scurried after the youkai lord.

* * *

Kagura held onto the man in front of her for dear life and to keep the contents of her stomach in her stomach. It was one thing to fly in the comfort of the feather she kept in her hair . . . She at least had complete control over how high she flew and how fast. Flying on a piece of fabric scared her to no end. The carpet, as the man had called it, seemed to have a life of its own. It flew up, it flew down . . . hell, sometimes it even flew in a loop, depending on what it flew over.

"Ooooh, Kami," she moaned miserably. "Please let this be over soon. Please."

"We'll be there soon," the strange man said. "I just hope that nothing has happened to my inkpot."

"Why are you so worried about that damned inkpot anyway?" Kagura managed to grind out. "And don't give me the line about Naraku getting a hold of it. I already know how bad that would be."

"Really?" He sounded amused. "You are one of Naraku's creations, are you not?"

"I am . . ."

"And I take it he will not be happy to hear of what I have done to you, will he not?"

"No," she frowned. "He won't."

"And he will do whatever he can to get you back and to keep you under his control, will he not?"

"He will . . ."

"And that is what I will do," came the reply. "Though your master may not care for you the same way that I care about my creations, the premise is still there. I do not wish to lose a very valuable asset."

Kagura's frown deepened. In a lot of ways, she knew that she was expendable. If things became desperate enough in a battle, Naraku wouldn't hesitate to her life or Kanna's just so he might live. But she, and Kanna, were also assets to Naraku. Kanna had her mirror, which Naraku put to many uses, including spying on the enemy. And she . . . she controlled the winds. She'd been able to injure both Inuyasha and Kouga on more than just one occasion. However, in the end, she knew it didn't matter. Unless she could free herself from Naraku's grasp, once he was gone, so was she.

"What are you thinking, wind sorceress?"

"How I wish to be free," she murmured. The carpet came to a slow halt and Kagura felt firm ground under her feet once more.

"You wish to be free?" he echoed. He had turned to face her, an expression of curiosity on his face.

"Yes. I wish to be free. Naraku holds my heart . . ." she began.

"Then how are you breathing?" he interrupted.

"Huh?" Kagura blinked at him.

"How are you breathing?" he repeated. "If your heart does not beat within you, now, how are you breathing?"

"I don't understand . . ."

"I mean that I turned you into a human woman," came the reply. "If a human does not possess her mortal heart, she cannot breathe. She cannot move. Your heart keeps the life moving within you, wind sorceress. If you do not have it, then you cannot be alive."

"You mean . . ." her eyes widened.

"That you are no longer bound to that fiend, Naraku," he smiled. "You are, in fact, free. And, as long as you stay with me and we get my creation back, you won't ever have to worry about Naraku ever again."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

"But milord!" he protested. He couldn't believe that Sesshomaru wouldn't allow him access to the inkpot, even though he'd agreed that Jaken had some valid points. The youkai lord turned away from him, his eyes gazing at something only he could see.

"I said no, Jaken. I do not want Inuyasha unleashed."

One look from Sesshomaru told him it was not a good idea to press the issue. The youkai lord lifted his head and returned to staring straight ahead. Jaken let out a soft sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Very well, milord . . ." He turned to walk away.

"Jaken . . ."

"Yes, milord?"

"When the time is right . . . then Inuyasha will be unleashed. But not before then."

"Milord?" Jaken tilted his head, puzzlement written on his face.

"It is not safe for Inuyasha to be anywhere else but where he is."

"What do you mean, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Naraku . . ."

"Huh? What does that miserable half-breed have to do with anything?"

"Inuyasha possesses great power, Jaken," came the reply. "If he were to fall into Naraku's hands, it could be disastrous."

"But my lord, surely you could have Inuyasha destroy such a vile hanyou, especially if he does possess great power!"

"Have you forgotten, Jaken? He has great powers but he has limitations. He cannot kill anyone."

"True, my lord, but can't he be used to weaken Naraku? All you would have to do is wish to know Naraku's weakness," he pointed out. Sesshomaru raised a hand to his chin, as if contemplating his words.

"I shall leave it up to you then, Jaken."

"Milord?"

"Tomorrow . . . I shall hand over the inkpot to you but for a short while only . . . Do not disappoint me."

"Yes, my lord." Jaken bowed low then scurried out of the room. He really didn't have much to prepare for. If all went well, he'd have his answers and Naraku would be a distant memory.

* * *

"Hmm . . . so they think they can get rid of me . . . How interesting . . ."

Naraku smiled as he watched Jaken scurrying away from Sesshomaru through Kanna's mirror. He relished in the fact that Sesshomaru did not know of the small insects that he had used to invade the youkai lord's home. Of course, he hadn't been able to see what had happened the day before, when Sesshomaru had initially released the creature in the inkpot. But he knew now. And he did not believe it when Sesshomaru had said Inuyasha couldn't kill anyone with his newfound powers. That simply was unheard of. All he had to do know was get into Sesshomaru's palatial home and steal the precious inkpot away from him.

'But I can't wait to get my hands on Inuyasha,' he thought, his face twisting into a cold sneer. 'I finally have the answer to all of my problems. Now if only Kagura hadn't failed me . . .'

He didn't know where the wind sorceress had gotten herself off to. He just knew that she was no longer under his control. An idea began to form his mind and he quickly set about it. Time was a-wasting and he needed to complete the Shikon no Tama soon, lest the miko Kagome discovered what had happened to Inuyasha and set him free.

'She is the only one who can stop me and keep the sacred jewel pure. But once I have Inuyasha in my possession, I shall soon remedy that. I shall remedy all of my problems.'

At that, he laughed. Yes, he'd remedy that very soon. Very soon, indeed.

* * *

"I can't believe this! Where could he have gotten himself off to?"

Sango let out a small sigh of frustration. Kagome had put into words what no one else could, it seemed, what no one wanted to. It had been several days since Inuyasha had disappeared and no one had seen the hanyou anywhere. They had seen a strange man in unusual looking clothing and he had a cart laden with inkpots and jars. But no sign of Inuyasha anywhere.

At first, they had believed he had run off to find Kikyou . . . he had made a promise to go to Hell with her. But Kagome had nixed that thought almost immediately.

"If Kikyou was anywhere around, I'd have sensed it," Kagome had declared.

'And there weren't any signs of a struggle anywhere,' she thought as she poked at the campfire. 'It's like he's vanished completely . . . like he never existed in the first place.'

Something about Inuyasha's disappearance did not sit well with Sango. No one disappeared without a trace yet the hanyou had. Idly, she wondered if Naraku had somehow managed to kidnap Inuyasha without any signs of a fight.

'But how? He couldn't disguise himself as Kikyou . . . The lack of soul-stealers would give him away . . . yet he could imitate them if he needed to. Yet, Inuyasha would be able to see right through it . . . And we would have detected any demonic aura in the area . . . So what happened? How did Inuyasha disappear so completely?' They were questions that she had no answer to.

She stared at the fire for a while longer, still wrapped up in her thoughts, until a familiar feeling touched her. More specifically, her bottom end. Sango clenched her fists tightly.

'Dammit, why can't he leave me alone for one moment? Just one moment!'

With careful precision, Sango brought her arm up, smashing it against the nose of the only adult male in the party. At least, since Inuyasha had disappeared.

"I'll be back later," she hissed, standing up. Without waiting for anyone to say anything else, she whirled around.

"He'll never learn," she heard Shippou comment as she stormed off into the woods.

* * *

Jaken hummed to himself as he made his way to the library. Today was the day. Lord Sesshomaru was to hand him the inkpot that kept his half-brother locked away. But it would be for a few moments only. Though he didn't completely understand why his lord was being protective of the hanyou, he didn't dare question it. Sesshomaru took meddling only so far before he got rid of the nuisance.

'But what I need to find out won't take long . . . Then he can be sealed away once more. I'll be glad for when he is no longer here.'

He entered the library, where the youkai lord waited. The inkpot rested in Sesshomaru's hands. Hiding a grin, Jaken received the inkpot from his lord . . .

* * *

Inuyasha stifled a moan. His head pounded once more, causing him to wake up. Something had changed. Again. His eyes fluttered open then he pushed himself up. Wiping the sleep out of his eyes, Inuyasha slid out of the bed and looked around.

The room remained tidy. No pillow out of place, no change in colour . . . Wait . . . He squinted his eyes some at the tapestries. A couple of them were no longer emerald green . . . some had become a vibrant blue. They crackled with life somehow.

He had just placed his foot on the floor when a sharp pain seared through his chest, causing him to collapse. A scream threatened to rip through him but all he could was whimper. How long it lasted, he couldn't say. The pain relentlessly assaulted him, making it difficult for him to breathe. It finally eased up for a moment and Inuyasha gasped for air. The pain, however, still lingered. It threatened to overwhelm him once more so he did the only thing he could think of. He pulled himself up onto the bed. As soon as he was off the floor, the pain evaporated.

"What was . . . that all about?"

Inuyasha let out a tired breath and closed his eyes once more. Outside his surroundings, a battle raged . . .