Week Two Prompt One
Title: The Dangers of Playing with Youkai
Author: sarthaannerose
Word Count: 673
Genre: humor
Universe: Canon
Rating: PG
Warning: None
Jaken cowered fearfully in the tree hallow, peeking out occasionally to see if the danger had passed. He really didn’t want to face his lord after everything that had happened today.
Taking a last look around the still forest, he carefully crawled out of his hiding place and ran straight into a pair of legs.
He gulped hard. This was not going to be pretty.
“M-my Lord!” Sesshoumaru was gazing down at him in the same impassive, powerful manner he always used, his face a blank mask of beauty. Any foolish passerby might think the taiyoukai more a statue than a force to be reckoned with; unfortunately, Jaken knew better. “H-how was your trip? I-I trust all w-went well?”
“Jaken,” at the sound of his name on those perfect lips, Jaken felt himself cringe even further towards the ground. His words were more monotonous than usual-never a good sign. “Would you care to explain the state of this Sesshoumaru’s camp?”
Maybe, just maybe, if he explained everything from the beginning… “W-w-well, you see, my Lord, I-I-“
“Lord Sesshoumaru!” By the Gods, he was dead.
A little blur of brown and red, Rin half-skipped towards the place where Sesshoumaru towered over his retainer, eyes bright despite the heavy smear of mud across her cheeks. Her hair was loosed from its ponytail and as tangled around her face as the brambles of a thorn bush, with even more mud coating a large portion of the locks. One sleeve of her yukata was missing, the edges of the garment torn and frayed as though they had been shredded by claws. To Jaken’s extreme horror, she was even sporting a small trickle of blood down along her temple. In all, the little girl looked as though she had been dragged through the mud by an angry youkai and she had somehow found it the best time of her life… which was not far from the truth.
“R-Rin! I told you to bathe, you wretched girl! Coming before our lord like this is inexcusable! You must go and-“ But Rin was not listening.
“Lord Sesshoumaru, you should have seen the bear youkai Master Jaken brought to the camp! He was so big, and he accidentally threw Rin into the mud when he was trying to play! He must have been very hungry, too, ‘cause he ate all the fish we caught this morning. Rin did not get to say goodbye because he left very quickly, but Master Jaken gave him the staff of heads so they must have made very good friends with each other, right Master Jaken?” Absolutely beaming as she looked to him, Jaken felt the overwhelming urge to use his missing staff to give the girl a good rap on the skull. However, all thoughts of reprimand dissipated instantly at the first brush of Sesshoumaru’s rising youki.
“Rin, return to the camp and wash yourself.”
“Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru!” There was silence between lord and retainer as the little girl skipped off to wash away the evidence. Only when she had disappeared below a hill did Sesshoumaru once again turn his eyes to Jaken. If Jaken had possessed hair on his neck, he knew it would be at attention just then. Desperately, he tried to explain.
“S-she lies, my lord! I-I did no such thing! The foolish youkai entered the camp and began to rummage through our possessions while I was fetching water, and that little fool thought I invited him! By the time I returned he had already wrecked the camp and she was in the state you saw! When I tried to fend him off the brute almost took my fingers with the staff he stole! I-I was just preparing to trail the creature when you returned, My Lord!” As he ended his rant, Jaken looked expectantly to his lord and was met by a pair of narrowed golden eyes.
Crap.
The next moment, several children in a nearby village saw a small green blur as it flew up and over the trees of the forest.