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In a Different Light	By : theMaven Category: InuYasha > General Views: 12680 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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                                                        In a Different Light
                                           Chapter 6: Stage One–Adjustments
            After her workout, Rin returned to the campsite with a string of fish in hand. Though her
romp in the river had cooled her considerably, she was still a little sweaty, and she was looking
forward to taking a quick dip before beginning the day’s travel–some softly scented soap, a
vigorous scrub down, and then she could wrap herself in a nice, warm kimono.
            Yes, she thought with a smile, that would be a lot nicer than her grass-stained training
uniform. And then she could take her hair down and let it fan out around her shoulders, the
autumn breeze blowing it gently behind her . . . There was no better feeling in the world as far as
she was concerned. The wind’s cool caress on her skin, her hair whipping wildly behind her, as
if she were some divine earth spirit. Calm and commanding, fluid and graceful . . . Not at all
like her normal self.
            She kicked a rock from underfoot and sighed. The sun was slowly rising in the sky, and
from its position she guessed she’d been gone a little over an hour.
            Be satisfied, she told herself. He wants you, so that should be enough. You always said
you didn’t care what you had to do, as long as you could stay by him . . . And he wants you by
him. So stop looking so solemn, and put on a smile. He likes it when you smile.
            She grinned ear-to-ear.
            Just let the bad stuff roll right off you, and use the good stuff to build up your base. Find
your center, Rin. You’re a mountain, remember. You’re unshakable . . . And when you face
him, you’ll face him mountain-to-mountain.
            As she entered the clearing, she noticed her lord still hadn’t returned, and Jakken and Ah-Un seemed to be sleeping quite soundly. She sighed inwardly and shook her head. Two lazier
servants she’d never seen. Ah-Un softly snored by the remains of last night’s fire, and Jakken
laid curled up at the base of the tree closest to her. She glared down at the little toad and nudged
him with the sole of her foot. “Isn’t it a shame when the master rises before the servant?”
            He mumbled something unintelligible, rolled over and hugged the Staff of Heads more
closely to his body.
            She nudged him again, harder. “Jakken!”
            He sprang to his feet, waving the Staff wildly around his head. Rin jumped back,
dodging his blind swings.
            “I’ll protect you, Lord Sesshomaru. You can depend on this Jakken. I’ll burn the vile
beast down to ashes!”
            Rin laughed. Vile beasts, indeed. “Are we dreaming again, Jakken?”
            The little imp opened his eyes and glanced around the campsite, his body tense and his
bulbous eyes alert. After a quick scan, his shoulders slumped in a heavy sigh. “Oh, it’s just you,
you dumb girl.”
            Rin rolled her eyes, a smile still on her lips. “Yes, it’s just me. No ‘vile beasts’ to
barbecue this time, unless you count these fish.” She dangled the string in front of his face.
            He scowled up at her and folded his arms.
            She crouched down beside him. “Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “It’s our
breakfast. I did the hard part and caught them; I’m just asking you to clean them.”
            The toad scoffed. “And why should I do that?”
            “Because I’m asking you very nicely, and if they’re not cleaned quickly, they won’t be
any good to eat.”
            He scoffed again and turned his nose up at her.
            Rin sighed. “Look, Jakken. I don’t have to bring back things for you and Ah-Un to eat.
In fact, it would be a lot easier for me to say ‘Screw you both. Go catch your own food. This is
mine.’ But it so happens that I like Ah-Un. He’s been very good to me over the years, and I
figure I could repay him with a little kindness and a few odd fish. And since Sesshomaru makes
his own arrangements for his meals, you’d be the only without anything. And I can’t imagine
that would feel very nice, so I bring you back a little something, too. The gods forbid I ever
make somebody feel left out . . . So I ask you to do one, little thing. Just clean the fish and start
a fire while I take my bath and get dressed, okay?”
            He stared at her, eyes wide and mouth agape. “What did you just say?”
            “What what?” she asked. “Just clean the fish and start a fire while I take my bath and get
dressed?”
            He shook the Staff at her. “Don’t play dumb with me, you dumb girl.”
            A dumb girl playing dumb, she laughed dryly to herself.
            “I heard you plain as day,” he said. “Speaking of our lord without his title.”
            Her heart jumped, and she raised her empty hand to cover her mouth. “I did?” She
couldn’t have. She’d found it so hard to say last night. It couldn’t have just . . . slipped out like
that.
            “You did,” he grumbled. “And if our lord ever found out--”
            “He’d be very pleased.”
            They both turned to see Sesshomaru approaching from the opposite side of camp.
            Jakken was at a lost. “My lord?”
            A slight blush formed in her cheeks. He’d heard her. He’d heard her use his name. And
she looked a mess.
            “Rin.” He nodded for her to stand, so she did.
            “My lord, I--” she cut her sentence short when she realized her mistake. He had told her
to use his given name. “I mean, Se–Sesshomaru . . . I–I was just asking Jakken to clean these
fish for me while I took a bath and put on proper clothes.” She couldn’t bring herself to meet his
gaze . . . So much for mountain-to-mountain.
            “I see.” He glanced down at the string of fish still in her hands, and then turned his
attention to Jakken. “And why haven’t you done as your lady has asked?”
            Her blush deepened.
            “M-my lady!” he sputtered.
            He silenced the toad’s mumblings with a glare. “This Sesshomaru did not stutter. You
are to address her as Lady Rin, and she may address me by my given name.”
            “But my lord--”
            “Silence!”
            Jakken jumped, and Rin instinctively shrunk down. This wasn’t the best way to start off
a morning . . .
            “Rin.”
            She chanced a glance up at him and met his gaze.
            “Give him the fish and go take your bath.”
            She nodded weakly and handed the fish off to Jakken. She could feel them both
watching her as she walked over to her bag and retrieved her clothes and some toiletries. She
clutched the items to her chest, then walked past them once again. “I won’t be long,” she said
softly as she left the clearing.
            Sesshomaru continued to watch her as she made her way down the path, back towards the
river. When she’d disappeared from sight, he took his seat at the base of the magnolia tree. He
knew what would happen next.
            Jakken approached him slowly, cautiously, the string of fish in his left hand. “My lord?”
            “What is it, Jakken?” He maintained his usual bored and unaffected tone.
            “W–why?” he asked. “Why that . . . scrawny, little girl?”
            Considering the other, less flattering things he could’ve said, Sesshomaru decided not to
strike him. Questions were to be expected, of course, and if he, the Lord of the Western Lands,
was still . . . unclear on a few things, the little toad’s brain must be fried. So he decided to
indulge the imp. A little, and only a little. “She is not scrawny, nor is she ‘little,’ any more. As
to why, that is none of your concern. She will be mine, and that is all you need to know.”
            Jakken swallowed hard. “But my lord, she’s . . .” he seemed unwilling to finish the
sentence, his head bowed, his mouth slightly twitching. “She’s . . . human,” he said at last.
            “Should this be news to me?”
            “No, my lord, but–but . . . your father, the other lords, InuYasha, the other lords . . .”
            He scowled inwardly, his face remaining the picture of calm. “This Sesshomaru assumes
you’ll form a complete sentence at some point in time.”
            “Aye, lord . . . this girl . . . It–it isn’t right,” he finally said. “What about your father and
InuYasha? His mother. And what will the other lords say? They dislike you as it is, and . . .
they hate humans as much as you do–or did,” he corrected himself, with a questioning glance.
            “And your point is?”
            “You hate humans,” he declared. “You hate InuYasha who’s half-human. You hated his
human mother, and you hated your father for mating with her . . . And the other lords openly
share your opinions. They hate humans and anyone affiliated with them.”
            He was beginning to lose interest in the little imp. “Unless you have something new to
add . . .”
            “My lord . . .” he seemed to be searching for the right words.
            Sesshomaru hid his amusement at his retainer’s growing anxiety.
            “This Jakken humbly begs your forgiveness, but . . .”
            He narrowed his eyes, intensifying his gaze. Whatever the little toad had to say had his
heart racing and his adrenaline pumping. He could smell the fear in him.
            “Again, my lord, I mean no offense, but . . .”
            At first it was his interest Jakken was trying, now it was his patience. “If you have
something to say, Jakken, say it and say it now.”
            He swallowed hard. “Remember Izayoi,” he said. “InuYasha’s mother. Remember how
she was targeted by your father’s enemies. Remember the fate your father met because of it.
Remember--”
            He let his fist fly, backhanding the annoying imp into the slumbering form of Ah-Un.
The beast roared awake, and Jakken immediately fell on his face before Sesshomaru’s feet, both
the fish and Staff of Heads still in his hands. “I do apologize, Lord Sesshomaru. This humble
Jakken meant no disrespect, but he felt it was his duty to inform his noble and mighty lord when
he may be making an irreversible mistake.”
            His indulgence was at an end. Again, he sent Jakken flying.
            As Ah-Un had moved, he sailed head-first into the tree he’d previously been sleeping
under. He sat there for awhile, slumped against the trunk, clearly dazed from the blow to the
head.
            Sesshomaru glared at the impudent imp, cold hatred burning brightly in his amber eyes.
“Do you dare think this Sesshomaru cannot protect what is his?”
            Jakken jumped to his feet, then threw himself at his lord’s feet, bowing and scraping,
begging his forgiveness. “No, my lord. Never, my lord. This Jakken would never doubt his
Lord Sesshomaru’s ability to protect that ignorant, unworthy, slip of a girl . . .”
            This time he got a face-full of his master’s boot, sending him into a backwards sprawl.
“Watch what you say, toad.” The master was now on his feet, his hand clenched into a tight fist,
crimson bleeding into his coppery glare. “That ‘ignorant, unworthy, slip of a girl’ is your future
lady and master. This Sesshomaru will not bow, nor beg the pardon of any lord in this land or
any other. Rin is mine to do with as I please. If I wish to take her as a mate,” and she accepts
me, he added mentally, “then there is nothing you, the other lords, or any other concerned parties
can do. If they will try to take my lands and my title, I will kill them. If they raise one claw to
harm my Rin, I will destroy them. And if this Sesshomaru hears you utter an unkind word in her
general direction, I will slit you from throat to crotch and feed your entrails to Ah-Un, who is
obviously the more worthy servant here.”
            “I do apologize, Lord Sesshomaru.” He righted himself then, again, fell on his face
before Sesshomaru’s feet. “This impudent Jakken spoke out of turn. I, humbly, beg your
pardon, my most honorable and magnificent Lord Sesshomaru. If you wish to beat this Jakken
more severely, I will not object. He has failed in his duties to his most venerable and esteemed
lord. I meant no offense, my lord. My only true concern was for your safety and that of your
most revered lady. Please, forgive this humble and lowly retainer, Lord Sesshomaru. I will
never doubt you again. My lord and future lady have my undying loyalty and devotion.”
            The red slowly ebbed from his eyes, and his hand gradually relaxed, but still remained
fisted. “Oh?” he raised an eyebrow at the imp. “Then why have you not done as your lady has
requested?”
            He immediately sprang to his feet and began cleaning the fish. “Yes, lord. Anything you
say, lord. This Jakken lives only to serve you and your most worthy intended.”
            “Indeed.” He continued to glare at the reptilian reprobate. “And when you finish with
that, go gather some wood for a cook fire for Rin. Your lord doubts she wants to eat raw fish at
this early hour.”
            He bowed his head repeatedly. “Yes, lord. Aye, lord. As soon as I’m finished with the
fish.”
            “And once you three have finished eating, we’ll break camp and continue on our way
back to the castle.”
            “Aye, lord. I understand, lord.”
            Sesshomaru allowed himself to linger a moment longer, his eyes boring into the boring
little demon, making sure Jakken was intensely aware of his ire. After watching him fidget and
squirm beneath his gaze, he soon lost interest in the troublesome toad, turned away from him,
and headed back to the clearing he’d discovered the previous night. He needed some time to
himself.
                                                                * * *
            Rin returned to the clearing feeling refreshed and renewed. So he is serious about this
whole courtship thing, she thought with a smile. Why else would he make Jakken call her a
lady? Because he truly intended to take her, and her lord never goes back on his word.
            She wouldn’t be some disposable plaything–a dirty, little secret he swept under the rug
and had slip into his chambers in the middle of the night. She was going to be recognized and
respected; she would be the Lady of the Western Lands. His Lady of the Western Lands. Twin
peaks of the same mountain.
            She held onto that thought and embraced it. This would be her new center. Nothing
could shake her, now.
            A bright smile alighted on her lips. Master Sumida would be so pleased. She was going
to be the perfect student from now on. Maybe she’d even be able to master those inversion
techniques the Master had been trying to teach her.
            “I’m back, Jakken,” she patted the top of his head as she passed.
            He huffed at her, tossing more twigs and sticks onto the fire.
            “But what happened to you? You’re all bruised.”
            He huffed again. “Mind your own business, girl.”
            She shrugged. Obviously, if Sesshomaru had beaten him so badly, he must have
deserved it. She stuffed her belongings back into her bag, then took a seat at the base of the tree
in front of the fire. “Must you be so grumpy?” she asked. “It’s a glorious day.”
            He turned his nose up at her. “For you maybe.” He speared one of the fish onto a stick
and stuck into the ground close to the fire.
            “Thank you for helping with breakfast.”
            He scoffed, then slunk over to his place beneath an adjacent tree.
            “Where’s Ah-Un?” she asked.
            “Grazing,” he said irritably.
            “And our Lord Sesshomaru?” she asked. The little imp seemed agitated already, and she
didn’t wish to irritate him further by dropping Sesshomaru’s title again . . . even if that’s the way
her lord wanted it.
            “You mean my Lord Sesshomaru,” he grumbled. “He’s your intended.”
            “I understand that, Jakken. But since you got so upset the first time I dropped his title,
and you still seem rather upset about something or another, I didn’t want to add fuel to the fire.”
            He grunted and looked away from her.
            “I know I may not always act like it, Jakken. But I do care what you think,” she said, “to
an extent. And I know our lord doesn’t always treat you with the respect you think you deserve,
but we both value your service. I’ve known you the bulk of my life, and you’ve served him how
long?”
            “Over a century,” he grumbled.
            “Exactly,” she said. “And you don’t intend on going anywhere, do you?”
            “Not. At. All.”
            She smiled at him, despite his grumpy demeanor. “And neither do I,” she said. “So
don’t you think it would be best for all parties concerned, if we tried to be a little nicer to each
other. I mean, I realize I’m just as much at fault as you are. Especially with the soup incident,
but . . .”
            “Apology not accepted,” he said smugly.
            Rin frowned. “Now, Jakken . . .”
            “Listen here, girlie. You think this is all some sort of game. Some sort of fairytale where
you’re the princess and my lord is the handsome prince.”
            Now it was her turn to scoff. “Please, Jakken, even I’m not that naive.”
            “You are naive,” he retorted. “Especially if you’re expecting a ‘happily ever after.’” He
picked up the Staff of Heads and fed the dying fire.
            Rin jumped as the flames flared then died back to normal. “You could’ve warned me
about that, you know. I could’ve been cooked.”
            He cradled the Staff in his arms, smoke billowing from the old man’s mouth. “Consider
yourself warned, then. Nothing good will come of this,” he said. “Nothing.”
            She chuckled uneasily, watching the flames as they flickered and danced, the aroma of
fire-roasted fish teasing at her nostrils. “You’re such a naysayer, Jakken. Nothing bad will
happen. Our lord is mighty and strong, and we should trust in his decisions. When has he ever
been wrong?”
            He huffed, then turned his nose up at her.
            “Exactly,” she said. “He doesn’t make mistakes. Everything he does, he does for a
reason.”
            “And what’s his reasoning behind this?” he asked gruffly. “Taking . . . you as a mate?”
            She gave a slight shrug, her face burning bright red. “I wouldn’t know.”
            “Well that makes two of us.” He focused in on her, then shook his head. “You’ll be the
death of us all.”
            “Me?” she laughed. “I’m harmless. Just another ‘worthless’ human, as you’re so fond of
saying.”
            “That was before,” he said. “Before, you were nothing. Before, you were expendable,
replaceable, forgettable. Nothing but the lowly pet of a great lord, barely worth mentioning.”
            “Pet?” she repeated.
            “But if he takes you as his mate, his enemies will have a field day with you. The one
weak spot where they’ll constantly strike.”
            She shook her head, a forced smile plastered on her lips. “That’s silly. Why would they
want to hurt me? I’m nothing; I’m nobody.”
            “To me,” Jakken said. “But to my lord . . .”
            She swallowed hard at the implied meaning, then wet her lips. “You mean they’d hurt
me to hurt him?”
            “They’ve done it in the past, haven’t they? That filthy Naraku and those scheming
Shichinintai . . . And that was when you were barely worth mentioning. But as the Lady of the
Western Lands . . .”
            She shook the thoughts from her head. You’re a mountain, she reminded herself. Let the
bad thoughts roll right off you. “He won’t let anything bad happen to me.”
            “Of course not,” Jakken said. “But what’ll happen to him in the process?”
            “Nothing bad will happen to him. I won’t let it,” she said stoutly. “He’ll watch over me,
and I’ll watch over him.” Twin peaks of the same mountain. “And, besides, no one can best our
lord,” she said. “He is the great Lord of the Western Lands, one of the most feared and well-known demons in all the land. What fool would dare raise a hand against him?”
            He laughed dryly to himself. “I must say I admire your spark, Lady Rin. But there are
fools aplenty in this land. And Lord Sesshomaru’s father, Lord Toga, was the greatest and most
feared demon in all the land. And still he fell at their hands . . . It was a sad day for us all.”
            She drew in a deep breath and pushed it out. “Well, you can just forget about all that
nonsense, Jakken. I’m not going anywhere, and neither is our lord.” A sly smile worked its way
across her lips. “If they’d like to try and separate us, let them. I am prepared,” she said. “No
one will take me from him, nor take him from me. So, they’d just better get used to the idea and
make the necessary adjustments . . . And you too, Jakken. We all have to stick together . . . don’t
we?” She was hopeful, but skeptical. Jakken and she had never been the best of friends, and he
had rejected her apology about the soup but . . .
            “Aye, Lady Rin.”
            She was surprised to see him nodding solemnly, but with just a hint of a smile.
            “We do have to stick together.”
            “Good,” she said. “Now, help yourself to some fish.” She picked up her own breakfast
and began to eat. “And don’t forget to save some for Ah-Un. I don’t want anybody getting left
out.”
            He nodded again, then moved closer to the fire where he’d laid the cleaned fish. “Thank
you for the breakfast, Lady Rin.”
            She smiled in reply. “You’re quite welcome, Jakken.”
            They ate in shared silence.
            Rin was the first to speak. “You have to call me lady,” she teased.
            “Shut up and eat your breakfast,” he scolded. “Brat,” he added playfully.
            “That’s Lady Brat to you.”
            “Not yet, it isn’t.”
            “Sesshomaru said so,” she put on mock airs. “And if you don’t obey him, he’ll beat you
within an inch of your life.”
            “You’re the one who needs a beating,” he retorted.
            “Oh? And will you be the one to give it to me?”
            A sly smile crossed his misshapen mouth. “That is the job of a mate, not the job of a
servant.”
            Her jaw dropped. “Jakken!”
            He continued to grin, a bright gleam dancing in his bulbous eyes.
            “Why, you little hentai.”
            The grin became a smirk. “We’ll see how smug you are once the master has his way
with you.”

            She turned bright red and picked up a stone. “Why, you little bastard,” she laughed.
            “You’ll see.”
            She hurled the stone at him, hitting him squarely between the eyes.
            “Ow!”
            “Well, that settles that.” She dusted her hands off, and threw the remains of her breakfast
into the fire.
            “Spiteful child,” Jakken moaned, rubbing his head. “So much like the master.” He
wandered back over to his tree and slumped down.
            All Rin could do was smile.
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In a Different Light