Chapter Text
It started small. The ugly human woman who tagged along with his master’s half-breed brother was completely unapproachable. She wanted to converse with everyone, constantly asking questions about everyone’s feelings and the last time they’d eaten.
Jaken sneered and returned to his raw fish. He wanted nothing to do with them. His only concern was his master, and considering the western lord was currently sitting outside the campsite, he clearly had no concerns at all.
The world had shifted when Rin had joined the group, but only slightly. Jaken had been taken aback by his lord’s complete disregard when it came to the tiny human sprite that refused to leave them alone. No amount of bribery could make her leave, and Lord Sesshoumaru never seemed to mind, much to Jaken’s chagrin.
Finishing off his fish, he disposed of the bones into the fire, side-stepping the vile woman as she offered to take his plate. Flames flickered from pale green to deep, sapphire eyes, but Jaken rebuffed her, waddling towards his master. Only the slight flex of his claws gave any indication that the powerful daiyoukai knew he was near, and Jaken bowed.
“My lord, will we be leaving at first light?” he asked.
Lord Sesshoumaru’s head tilted, a single golden eye sliding open. The slitted pupil focused on his face, and Jaken stiffened, gripping his staff as he tried to ascertain which facial expression he needed to pay attention to the most. His master didn’t speak much, but each clenched muscle or twitch spoke volumes.
Joining the half-breed’s group made no sense logistically, as their strength was nothing compared to his master, but Jaken never questioned his choices. Lord Sesshoumaru always knew best.
Silence bled into the surrounding darkness, tension rising as Jaken struggled not to fidget. Had he missed something before they’d made camp? Rin hadn’t complained about anything outright, but maybe something critical had come up when she’d been conversing with the other humans. He opened his mouth to apologize, but jumped when a foot stamped down next to him.
“Hey! He’s talking to you!” Jaken’s eyes bulged out of his head as he stared up at the human woman. Hands on her hips, dark waves bounced off her shoulders as she glared at the western lord. “You can at least answer his question.”
Lord Sesshoumaru’s gaze lingered for a moment before sliding to the miko. Being the object of his attention didn’t faze her. In fact, it only incensed her more, and she crossed her arms over her chest before raising her chin.
Jaken looked between the two, sputtering in disbelief before finally finding his voice. “Ignorant wench! You dare to speak to Lord Sesshoumaru in that tone?”
Dark brows furrowed as she looked down at him. “You don’t have to take that. He’s being rude.” The statement was so straightforward and matter-of-fact that it stunned Jaken into silence. What kind of reasoning was that? This was how he was always spoken to.
“You’re not part of this conversation!” he shot back. “Your opinion is unneeded!”
Sapphire eyes turned stormy, the air stirring as sparks of reiki curled around her fingers. Jaken turned to face her, taking on a defensive stance. He would defend his master’s dignity.
A sigh had them both jerking to attention. Jaken barely managed to keep his mouth from falling open as his lord adjusted his position against the tree. “We will leave when Rin is ready,” he stated, eyes sliding closed.
A snort preceded the crunch of dirt under her heels as the woman spun away. Jaken’s fingers dug into the base of his staff, glancing over his shoulder as he bowed again.
Did this woman have a death wish?
“Unacceptable.”
Forehead pressed against the floor, Jaken grovelled for forgiveness. “She refused to listen to reason, my lord! It was only due to your skillful persuasion that she finally agreed to leave!”
Lord Sesshoumaru didn’t look up from his missives. “If that were true, she would not have breached the castle gates in the first place.”
Small green hands clenched into fists. “Perhaps, my lord, if you visited more often—” A flash of amber silenced him instantly. “Of course, what was I thinking?”
“It is clear you were not thinking from the beginning,” the western lord retorted. The legs of his chair scraped against the floor as he rose to his feet. “I have no purpose for such useless creatures in my employ.” Pale silk billowed over his hat as he brushed by him, leaving Jaken to scramble to his feet.
“My lord! I have been your most humble servant for decades!”
“Then it is time you shifted your focus to someone more tolerant of your shortcomings.” Lord Sesshoumaru glared at him over his shoulder. “My brother’s miko, perhaps.”
A squawk got lodged in his throat as he chased after his master, but the daiyoukai was already around the corner and out of sight before Jaken got to the door. Usually, he would’ve continued on his trek, content to take whatever abuse his master doled out, but there had always been a slight pause in his steps, giving the imp time to catch up.
Not this time.
The speed of his disappearance weighed heavily on Jaken’s shoulders, forcing his knees to bang against the wooden planks, his body shaking in the aftermath. How had it come to this? Lord Sesshoumaru had always tolerated his mother before, even when she showed up unannounced. What had gone so wrong this time that it had resulted in such a decision?
“What’s wrong?”
Bulbous, tear-filled eyes turned toward the inquiring voice. The sight of the intolerable wench from Inuyasha’s pack looking down at him with a concerned expression on her face only made his agony worse. “I have been dismissed!” he wailed.
She blinked in surprise. “For the rest of the day?”
“Forever!” he screeched. “My lord has been stressed due to his mother’s presence, but I never thought it would come to this!”
She snorted—something she did a lot around him. “Is that why he’s had a stick up his ass lately?”
Swivelling on his knees, he faced the woman, tears staining his robes even as he came to his lord’s defence. “You will show him the respect he deserves! Especially after being so gracious as to let you stay within the shiro while teaching Rin!”
A dark brow raised, eyeing him critically. “I give him just as much respect as he gives me. You should consider doing the same.” She knelt in front of him, tucking her feet under her. “You worship the ground he walks on, but he treats you like dirt.”
“It’s an honour to serve him!”
“An honour he takes for granted,” she pointed out.
Jaken opened his mouth to argue, but she gave him a reassuring smile. It was off-putting. No one ever looked at him like that. Like he was worth something.
“Come on,” she said, holding out a hand. “Let’s see how long it takes Mr. High-and-Mighty to realize how much he misses you.”
“Your tea, Kagome-sama.”
Her nose crinkled as she reached for her cup. “I told you to stop calling me that.”
“You said to refer to you by name,” Jaken sniffed. “That’s what I’m doing.”
The miko rolled her eyes. “I don’t need any honorifics. Just the name is fine.” She patted the cushion next to her. “Come sit.”
The tray nearly cracked from the force of his grip, and he shook his head. “It’s not my place.”
A finger was thrust into his face. “You’re not a servant here, Jaken. You’re an acquaintance. With the possibility of becoming a friend if you decide to listen.” He’d never considered her to be a threat—not when he was used to claws and fangs—but the woman made use of her talents, eyes unblinking as she dared him to contradict her.
He wanted to refuse—he should refuse—but her eyes narrowed, and he barely managed to avoid faceplanting into the ground when she yanked on his sleeve. “Deviant wench! Unhand me!”
“Not until you sit down,” she ordered. Giving him a pointed look, she poured a second cup, then pushed it toward him.
Jaken bristled. “I’m perfectly capable of listening from where I was!”
“But you don’t have to,” she said, nudging the cup again. “And then you can relax at the same time. Unless you poisoned the tea.” A smirk tilted up the right side of her mouth from behind her cup, and he drank his down in one gulp to prove that it wasn’t.
The audacity of some people. Like he would ever waste his lord’s resources. It shouldn’t have surprised him, considering her upbringing. He glowered at her as she refilled his cup, waiting for her to state her business, but she made a point of savouring her drink, complimenting him on the blend as she stared out the nearest window.
“So,” she eventually said, “what do you do around here?”
It took him a moment to realize she wasn’t being condescending. The smirk had shifted into something more serene, and she’d spent most of the silence resting back on her hands. It was as if she were content to let the day go by—like she enjoyed his company.
And no matter how much he scrutinized her, insulted or berated her, she just sat there, sipping her tea. As if she had nothing better to do.
She surprised him more by pulling out a strange pile of parchment, one side bound with invisible string, and started making a list of all his duties. He’d known she was educated, but the complexity of her kanji proved it was more than just a necessity to survive.
When he paused, she started doodling in one corner, and his face took shape in the form of an angry frog, a puffed-up dog with familiar markings barking at it from the shoreline. If she caught him looking, she didn’t say, but a second frog quickly appeared—one with a lopsided ponytail and missing teeth.
Since when did frogs have teeth?
Once she was finished, she ripped off the parchment and slid it under his cup. “I didn’t say anything,” he groused.
“You didn’t have to,” she returned, tapping the written list. “Besides, it’ll be a good reminder that there are more people than just Sesshoumaru who need you.” She tapped the smaller frog. “She talks about you a lot.”
Unable to stop himself, Jaken smoothed out the parchment. “She is Lord Sesshoumaru’s ward,” he replied feebly.
The miko snorted. Why did she always do that? Was there some hidden human meaning behind it? “She’s a ward of the west, Jaken. Even a blind person can tell who takes care of her more. Sesshoumaru protects her, sure, but who feeds her? Who makes sure she sleeps enough?” She leaned over the table, eyes soft but knowing. “Who cares about what she’s feeling?”
His face turned pink, unable to refute anything she’d said, so he kept his eyes on the picture. He’d been against the little twerp following his illustrious lord at the beginning, but her curious questions and stupid handmade flower crowns had grown on him.
Not that he’d told her.
Pursing his lips, he put the parchment down before folding his hands, not wanting to crinkle it. They sat in silence, yellow eyes unseeing, before her hand crept into his periphery. It was hesitant at first, and she paused, but when he didn’t move away, her palm settled on top of his clenched fingers.
“She knows,” the miko murmured. “But you could remind her now and then.” Jaken hunched his shoulders, but her reprimand remained tranquil. “Besides, now you have extra time to hang out with her!” she added brightly. “All this organization can be done by someone else, and you can join my lessons with Rin. I’m sure there’s a bunch of youkai history that I’ve missed.”
Jaken swallowed and nodded once. He caught a glimpse of another smile, and she squeezed his hands before poking him between the shoulder blades.
“You’ll have to work on your posture, though. Can’t have someone of your standing hunched over the table. What would Rin think?” Her gall knew no end, as she winked at him when he finally met her gaze, but then she was pouring more tea, and he finally relaxed.
Working for the miko may prove its worth.
Rin perked up the moment he entered the room, though she quickly schooled her features and posture. She’d reached early adolescence, and though that meant little to a youkai, Rin was human, and he knew their stages of change came earlier and more frequently.
“Jaken-sama,” she said, fingers curling into her lap. “Did I leave a mess somewhere? I can clean it up after my lesson.”
Jaken looked up at Lady Kagome—he still refused to address her as anything else—and she clicked her tongue expectantly before sliding the door behind her. Clearing his throat, he approached the table. “I thought I might join you today,” he replied, settling down across from her.
Rin immediately lost her stiff position, clapping her hands together excitedly. “Really? Will you stay the whole time? I can show you what I’ve been working on!” The table sagged with the weight of her work, parchment flying in all directions as she pulled out a freshly tied bundle. “Kagome-san is teaching me about fairy tales.” She scrunched her face up. “They’re not as exciting as the stories you told me while we were travelling, though.”
A chuckle had Rin instantly apologizing, but Lady Kagome waved her off. “It’s fine, Rin. Based on everything Jaken’s gone through, I’m sure you’re right.”
Jaken cleared his throat again. “Lady Kagome mentioned you’d like to hear more of those stories.”
Rin’s eyes widened with hope and shock, looking between her two teachers so fast that her hair decoration nearly came loose. The miko chuckled again, then pointed to her parchment. “Why don’t we take it slow today, and you can write down any kanji you recognize in his story?”
Rin started to clear the table, but she remembered herself at the last moment, and she calmly placed her work on the floor. Opting for a partially used brush, she found a mostly empty piece of parchment, then sidled closer to the imp, head tilted so she’d catch every word.
Lady Kagome busied herself with organizing the next lesson, but Jaken caught the telltale smirk as she made notes on the list of his duties from the day prior. Some were marked in red ink, while others were crossed out completely, with angry frog faces next to them.
He wanted to question her on it, but a sharp poke from Rin refocused his thoughts, and he began to spin a tale of love and labour about how the gods had gifted those in the sea the ability to walk on land.
Snarls echoed through the hallway as heavy objects banged against the walls of the shiro’s library. What had once been an orderly room with scrolls in clearly labelled stacks was now a disaster zone, and the miko was beside herself with glee when Jaken found her.
She’d masked her aura and was leaning against the adjoining wall. Hands folded against her robes. Jaken slowed his steps, but she shook her head, handing him an oddly shaped leaf before motioning him around the corner. A sliver of reiki sizzled over his skin, and Jaken suddenly realized she’d masked his aura as well.
He hid around the corner, pocketing the keepsake before straining to hear the ruckus from the library. It had almost been a month since he’d been dismissed, and though he’d initially been at a loss for what to do next, Jaken had found being a part of Rin’s lessons was something he looked forward to daily. Lady Kagome called it ‘co-teaching’, and while she still used futuristic lingo he wasn’t familiar with, he wasn’t complaining.
Everyone else in the shiro was, but that was mainly due to Lord Sesshoumaru’s worsening temper.
The door slid open without a knock, and Jaken watched her step inside. “What have you lost now?” she asked in a bored tone. The audacity. Jaken swallowed his smile.
“It is none of your concern,” Lord Sesshoumaru barked, something else hitting the wall.
“It is when you’re bothering everyone within a five-kilometre radius,” she retorted. “Even the messengers from neighbouring villages are walking on pins and needles when they arrive.” Another snarl almost had Jaken come out of hiding, but a spark of reiki had him pressing against the wall. “You have no one to blame but yourself for this mess.”
“There used to be order—”
“Yes, there was,” she agreed. “But then you decided to be an ungrateful cow and fire your most loyal worker.” The din finally stopped, the only noise being whatever had been thrown to the ground crunching under her feet.
“What do you know of it?” the daiyoukai asked, voice low and dangerous. Jaken gripped the trinket in his pocket. He knew the miko could handle herself, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to intervene on her behalf.
Rin would be so proud of him.
“A lot more than you probably do,” she retorted. She started listing things off, and Jaken could see her counting them off on her fingers without even being in the room. “The library, the missives, your meals. Jaken did everything for you, and you never once thanked him for it.”
“He is a servant.”
“He is loyal!” the miko snapped. “There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for you, and you gave him nothing in return.” A growl was cut short with a flare of reiki. “Don’t take that tone with me. Especially when I’m right.”
There was more scuffling, and Jaken couldn’t tell which of them was moving, but their auras remained contained within the room, so he knew he was still safe. She continued to berate the western lord with no qualms about her own safety, leaving Jaken to wonder if everyone in the future was like that, or just her.
Considering how he’d treated her in the beginning, it was likely the latter, as there were others in her pack who still scowled at him whenever he was around. Being able to charm even the most savage beast was probably one of her greatest feats.
When Lord Sesshoumaru spoke again, he sounded thoroughly chastised. “Perhaps I am remiss in my evaluation,” he hedged. “I will speak to him this evening.”
“Oh, he’s far too busy for that,” she replied airily. “You’re welcome to put in a request, but keep in mind that it is a request. He’ll get to it if he chooses to.”
“He would not dare—”
“You’ll find he does a lot of things that don’t require your permission, my lord.” The venom in her voice dripped with sarcasm, and Lord Sesshoumaru’s youki surged with something more than just anger. Jaken blinked in surprise, convinced he’d misread it. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have an appointment with my friend, and if I’m not remiss, you have a mess to clean up. By yourself.”
She flounced out of the room, chin held high and eyes bright. As she rounded the corner, her hand came up to her mouth, smothering her laughter as she motioned for Jaken to follow.
The fact that she remained in one piece was telling, and as Jaken waddled down the hall after her, he was struck with a brilliant idea.
Paying her back for her kindness was always at the forefront of his mind, but he hadn’t figured out a way to do it. Rin had also been at a loss, as Lady Kagome seemed content with her role as teacher and never asked for anything more than basic necessities.
Even their trips into town were more for Rin’s education than anything else. Lady Kagome knew how to barter, but though her fingers would linger over certain items, they never made their way into her pocket. She was paid for her services with Rin—that had been the first argument she’d struck up with Lord Sesshoumaru—but as far as Jaken knew, she’d yet to spend any of it.
A more permanent role at the shiro didn’t seem like enough considering everything she’d given him, but her standing up to the stoic lord appeared to be its own reward. And if this was how she acted when Lord Sesshoumaru cared little for her, who knew what would happen when she caught his attention for real?
Smiling to himself, Jaken made a mental note to add hair-styling and kimono painting to Rin’s list of lessons. It would serve as a break from the monotonous list of academics, plus they were skills that Rin needed to learn once she became of age to marry. And Lady Kagome had a delightful habit of mastering a skill while teaching it to Rin at the same time.
His smile turned devious. Once Rin was informed of his plan, she would likely have her own thoughts to add. They would make it a group project.
And then Lord Sesshoumaru would have another reason to thank him.