One Shot #29
Title A Waste of Time
Author landofthekwt
Rating K
Prompt "A man who wastes one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." Charles Darwin
POV Jaken
Word Count 1048
Warning none
Summary Sesshoumaru makes Rin happy
A/N Part of Ten Years After
Jaken was confused. Despite the fact that Rin was now Lady of the West, mate of Lord Sesshoumaru and mother of the heir, to him she would always be the ragamuffin waif who should have been left as road kill after the wolves caught her.
He remembered all the insults she hurled at him, all the silly things she did while they whiled away the time waiting for Lord Sesshoumaru. In his mind she was still a child and he was still her babysitter
Wasn't that what he was doing today? Lord Sesshoumaru had specifically assigned him to help
her with whatever she was doing. The question was what she was doing. It all seemed to be a waste of time.
First they had gone to the fields and gathered flowers. He was not a flower child Rin was and always had been. Putting flowers in Lord Sesshoumaru's hair, a wreath around Ah Un's neck
and in his hat. He had never forgiven her for that violation of his person.
The flowers were gathered in baskets and tied to Ah Un and Rin would fly off with the flowers living Jaken to stew. What was she doing with all those flowers.? Lord Sesshoumaru told him to watch over. He could not very well do that sitting in fields of flowers.
When Rin returned for the last time with Ah Un, she motioned for Jaken to come with her. They flow to a market town far from the Western Shiro. Rin gave Jaken her purse. He had never seen so much gold and silver. Where in the world had she obtained it?
He figured it was Lord Sesshoumaru's money since Rin had none. His lord had never entrusted him with money, Rin was. What was she wasting Lord Sesshoumaru's money on? He had to know. She instructed him to keep strict accounts of the money.
He followed her into the market. They bought cattle, pigs, sheep, grain, seed, hired carts to carry all the produce Hired men to herd the livestock. Was Rin starting a farm? Why was she wasting his time and the Lord's money on things that Lord Sesshoumaru did not need or want?
He was an accomplice now. Whatever Rin was doing he was deeply involved. He just hoped that Lord Sesshoumaru would forgive him for the money she had wasted. He would have to grovel even lower this time to save his skin.
Rin on the other hand would not be punished for what she had done. She had wasted the Lord's time and money so many times without any reproval. Somehow it just did not seem fair. His life had been so much better before she came along and spoiled everything.
The caravan marched on Over hill and dale. Over streams and rivers. Over mountains and valleys until at last it reached the Western lands. Where in the world could Rin be going? She had gone so far to purchase animals and seed what in the world could they be for?
At last they reached a place that Jaken knew He had been to the burned out village. Reported what the general had done to Lord Sesshoumaru at the risk of his own life. He had risked his life for humans. What was he thinking?
To his surprise the burned out village was gone. In its place carpenters from the Western Shiro were building an entirely new village in its place. Jaken stopped and stared Why were the best and brightest in the Western Lands rebuilding a human village.
The caravan stopped at the village. The cowherds and swineherds led their charges to their pastures. The villagers began to filter out of the woods staring at the beasts who were being bestowed on them their Lord.
A cheer went up. The carpenters simply shook their heads. The village needed to down in less than a week. It was good that the humans were happy. They worried more about the Lord's happiness and what would happen to them if they did not meet the deadline.
When the village was finished, Lord Sesshoumaru came. Rin was happy to show him around the village. Introduce him to all the people who survived his general's assault. They bowed to him.
thanking him effusively for all that he had done. When he acknowledged them with a slight nod, Rin winked at him.
The last stop was the cemetery. There the gravestones had been carved with the names of each of the dead. Since the old cemetery had been decreased, Buddhist monks and Shinto priests were there to rededicate the cemetery and saying prayers over each new grave..
Jaken was surprised when Ah Un trundled in with baskets of flowers. Rin took bouquets from Ah Un' load and placed one bouquet on each grave. When it was done, Rin came up to each of the survivors offering them flowers and giving them each a hug.
When the funeral was over, the villagers returned to homes. Rin stayed for a while with Lord Sesshoumaru. She seemed to be shivering. When Lord Sesshoumaru put mokomoko-sama around her, she got up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru for what you have done for these villagers"
All he said was "Hn", but she brightened and took his arm as they left the cemetery. When Jaken later complained about the time he wasted, working for the villagers he felt a rock hit his head
Turning he saw Lord Sesshoumaru glaring at him
" Any time you spent. You spent for Rin. Any money you spent. You spent for Rin. If Rin is happy I am happy. If Rin is unhappy, I am unhappy. Nothing is wasted if it makes Rin happy. Do you understand? All this today was to make Rin happy. Nothing else matters"
Jaken finally understood. To stay alive all he had to do was make Rin happy If Rin was happy, Lord happy. If Lord Sesshoumaru was happy, he and the rest of kingdom
was safe. He sighed. For today he was safe because Rin was happy.