Consequences

As commanded, Jaken returned the following day.  He was anxious, agitated, and above all irritated.

Rin somehow managed to seduce Lord Sesshomaru?!  She had the body of a boy, the intellect of a tree stump, and was in no way physically appealing.  To top it all, she was human!

It made no sense.  Lord Sesshomaru was above all beings, and if there was a hierarchy, mortals held the same place as insects.  It was only because of his infinite patience that he tolerated them.  He tolerated Rin, he did not acknowledge her sex, let alone consider her as a potential mate!

But even he, Jaken, who understood every nuance of his master, could not entirely ignore the peculiar effect Rin had on him.  It was as if she had bewitched him.  Ever since she appeared, he placed her before all else.  He always worried about her well-being, and the very idea of her coming to harm was enough to turn him mad with rage.

She provoked feelings in him that he would otherwise not feel.  Jaken was baffled by it.

If Lord Sesshomaru chose to mate with Rin, then everything would change.  And ironically, he was much more concerned about Rin than he was his master.  The girl was in many ways child-like, and ill prepared for such an honor.  In fact, he worried that she might insult his lord and reject him.  She perceived him...like family.

  Lord Sesshomaru always ensured her well-being.  Their lives were his to destroy should he choose, but Rin would endure great suffering if she were made to assume the role of lover when previously she had been…

What was Rin?

Jaken had mused about this all night.  It was a topic he had spent many nights considering, whenever he noticed his lord going out of his way to protect her.

He always assumed the girl was a momentary interest…something new and different.  Then she seemed to assume the role of child.  He never would have expected his lord to completely alter the nature of that parent-like relationship.  It was not at all uncommon in their world; it was only humans who placed restrictions on relationships, carefully limiting roles.

But Jaken could not object.  His master had the authority to do as he wished, and it was Jaken’s role to obey.  He did not look forward to returning with Rin being so altered.  It would surely lead to problems.  The girl could only create problems.  She was weak, powerless, and a fool.

Still….

He carefully checked his surroundings as he uneasily entered camp.

And did his best to keep his features neutral but instead he was shocked.

Lord Sesshomaru was sitting beneath the tree, his sword leaning against him.  It was the very same position as when he left.

Rin was sitting several feet away, drawing in the sand with a stick she had found.  He could not see her face, but he noticed that she wore a new kimono. 

It was much nicer than the ones she normally favored, and he suspected it was a new gift from his master.  This one was a shimmery pink, with a purple belt.  Her hair was up, and he cleared his throat.

Her entire body tensed, and he held his breath.  He hoped she did not break down into tears because he truly had no idea how to handle tears. 

She looked up at him and smiled a great big toothy smile.

‘Jaken, where did you go?  I finally caught the firefly and then you were gone.’

He glanced at his master, who appeared to be asleep.

‘And did he like it?’

For a split second, her entire expression faltered, and for a moment he thought she really would break down and cry, but smiled wryly, ‘No, I didn’t get a chance to show him’

I really do wish I had gotten lost on my way here. 

You could cut the tension with a kinife, it was so thick.  Although all appearances said otherwise, she had been touched. He could smell it on her.  She was covered in his scent.

He turned uneasily to Sesshomaru-sama, who now rose, ‘I said return by morning.’

‘My L-L Agh!’ He cried out as he was summarily knocked to the ground.

Sesshomaru gave him his back.  He never said where they were going.  They always simply followed.

Rin stood, and stared down at her feet for a moment, before walking to Jaken.  He would never forget.  It was the first time she helped him stand.  And she took his hand and squeezed it, and instead of ripping his hand away like he normally would, he held it while they followed.