Once Upon a Winter by A Blue Midnight Witch

Chapter Two – A Flea, a Kappa and a Dragon

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim any and all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this story. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her lovely creations.

This story is meant for a mature audience only.  Story may contain strong language, violence, and adult situations.

- No YIM’s, please

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Once Upon a Winter

Chapter Two – A Flea, a Kappa and a Dragon

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If the old flea was honest with himself, he would admit that he wanted to escape like the coward he had been called so many times before. There was something about danger and the unknown that let his fears always dictate what he should do. There was no room for bravery. Look what it got Inu no Taisho after all.

Unlike the Great Inu Daiyōkai, Myōga was only a flea demon who did not have a head for battle or finding solutions to vast problems like the one he had in front of him now. Being spineless taught him how to survive, after all you can’t be killed if you are not in the vicinity of the enemy. Yet, since Inuyasha had awakened from the spell the other miko had placed on him, the flea had taken a few chances to be there to try to guide his Inu hanyō lord; that was more than anything he had done before for the lad.

There was no doubt that this was going to be anything, but easy. And naturally, Myōga had thought that maybe he should run off and leave everything to Jaken when he had shown up in the woods looking for the Western Lord. Though knowing the damn kappa, he would only save his lord and leave the human girl behind, and that did not sit well with him. He liked the strange Miko; besides he didn’t want his hanyō lord to find out if he had abandoned her to Lord Sesshōmaru’s retainer; then his life would be truly forfeit.

He had to be brave! Or at least he tried to convince himself as his nerves felt frayed. A cowardly advisor needed to be fearless for more than a mere moment.

The flea could not assist in helping Jaken lift either of the now child-size Sesshōmaru or Kagome onto Ah-Un. Watching as Jaken tried to drag the little Daiyōkai through the snow only to lose his grip because of the weight of the pup and the amount of smooth silk clothing, Myōga sighed at the sight. Jaken was a small kappa; he didn’t have any real muscle strength to lift anything bigger than a newborn pup.

“Don’t just stand there, help me!” Jaken was desperate to find a way to get his lord on the two-headed dragon. He had his frail hands under the arms of the little lord and tried to drag only to feel his back pop and he dropped his lord back onto the cold snow.

“What do you want me to do? I can’t magically change sizes and lift them. Or else I would have done so by now.” He should have been more specific in the help he required when he said his desperate prayer earlier.

Jaken squawked and turned his attention to Ah-Un, who was only  a couple of feet away. “I order you to help us!”

The two-headed beast snorted. One head looked at the crazy kappa, the other was still staring at the two sleeping forms. The curious head made a few noises, making the other snort even louder.

Myōga struggled against the biting wind to jump closer to the dragon; the snow storm was getting worse.

“Ignore the rude kappa. Please do this to save your lord and the innocent little miko.”

Both heads looked at each other for a moment, a few noises were made, and then the beast moved closer to the small children.  One head moved to get the body of the Daiyōkai under its neck, the other used his head to keep him from falling. They successfully placed the lord on their back.

“You damned creature! You saw me struggle and did nothing!” Jaken shrieked.

“Now the girl,” Myōga reminded the dragon.

They repeated the process with the little miko, but while the little lords clothing still stayed with him, the miko lost half her weird attire. Thankfully the white top was big enough to cover her body. Both children were next to each other, on their stomachs over the dragons’ back.

“Get the remaining clothing and shoes,” the flea looked at the foot wear that was left in the snow, and the rest of the girl’s odd indecent apparel. He then looked to Jaken who scowled at him. “Just do it. Quickly now.”

“If not for my Lord’s unusual state I would squish you and that human girl!” Jaken squawked shaking his two-headed staff.

‘You couldn’t even lift the girl,’ thought the flea.

Jaken grabbed the green garb and threw it over the girl.

“Do you know of a safe place to get them to?” Moving to the ear of the Miko, Myōga looked to Jaken who was trying to situate himself on the dragon as to not fall and to hold on to his lord.

“Of course! Lord Sesshōmaru is intelligent enough to have hidden places to rest shall he require it.” 

***

He didn’t know how long they traveled, the cold made the journey seem unbearably prolonged. The icy wind chilled the flea at the height they flew; he could only wonder how cold the unconscious children were faring given that no one knew how much time they had been in the snow. If not for hiding behind the girl’s ear and holding on to her hair, he would have surely been blown away.

Ah-Un landed onto a side ledge of a mountain, about a hundred feet away from the earth below, there was only a lone tree but no paths. Jaken lifted his gnarled walking staff and Myōga saw a glimmer of magic before the dragon entered a hidden cave. He wasn’t surprised by the fact that Sesshōmaru had a secret location; it did seem that the heir did have some things in common with the sire.

They escaped the snow storm, already he felt the difference in temperature at being sheltered away from the piercing wind. It was very dark in the cave, but before he could  adjust his eyes Jaken commanded the walking staff and fire lit the place with light; The entrance of the cave was empty except for a pile of wood that was stacked to the side of a wall, the dragon walked forward, the cave was not as small as Myōga first thought, they moved to a carved out hall in the cave, a few feet later the dragon entered a room where there laid a pile of furs on a futon that was probably made with finer material than hay, and a sculpted out hearth.

Jaken scrambled off the dragon and with the flame of the staff he lit a few bulky candles that showed signs of use that sat on a rock slab close to the hearth. The fire the staff held was extinguished. The low light was fine by him.

Carefully the two heads of the dragon worked to place its’ charges on to the furs. It worried Myōga how neither, Kagome or Sesshōmaru stirred at all. Whoever turned the two into child and pup, had they also placed a curse or spell of sleep upon them?

“Do not put them so close together! That wretched human dare not be close to the Great Lord Sesshōmaru any longer.” Jaken demanded and moved to separate the two, who now lay side by side thanks to the dragon.

“Leave them be!” Myōga ordered as he hopped from his spot from Kagome’s head to the small Daiyōkai. “They need the warmth. Cover them with some furs.”

“You need to stop ordering me around! You are no one to do so!” Jaken looked at the flea with contempt. In truth the kappa was scared and frustrated with how things were. And the only way the retainer knew how act was to react as though everyone around him, except his lord, were unworthy vermin.

Myōga had known Jaken for several decades, longer than he wished he did, and he was used to the ridiculous outbursts of the old kappa. He touched his balding head and sighed. He wouldn’t say it aloud, but Jaken and Inuyasha both tended to throw tantrums like petulant young whelps.

“Why is it so hard for you to do what’s needed to keep your lord alive?” Myōga said, knowing that he was being a bit of a hypocrite, yet he knew he had to hit a nerve when it concerned competent loyalty. It was the only way to get him to do what he needed him to.

 “Do not dare question my loyalty you stupid filthy flea.” Jaken made a show as he grabbed a few furs and laid them over Sesshōmaru and Kagome. Then the kappa looked solemn as he stared at the sleeping figures. “Will they ever wake?”

“I do not know.” Myōga replied, sadly. “But we must hope so and do what is needed to keep both alive.”

“A fire is required.” Jaken said as he shook his head of whatever thoughts were plaguing him.

Both yōkais had the same fear, though they didn’t know what to say; the reality of the situation had them grasping at ideas of what could have happened and what to do.

Jaken grumbled to himself and then headed a different direction.

“Where are you going?” the flea yōkai asked.

“To get wood for a fire, I will not fail my lord.” He replied, leaving the room with purpose.

Sighing, Myōga jumped down to stand between the faces of the two youngsters. He felt their warm breath, he heard their regular breathing, a simple and small comfort to him. He was truly surprised that neither of them was shivering from the cold. At least there did not seem to be an immediate danger at the moment; they just needed to be kept safe and warm until he or Jaken could think of what to do, or if the somehow returned to their normal selves.

Looking around he considered the cave, it seemed to be more than a simple dwelling for Lord Sesshōmaru. Though there were no signs of grandness or luxury, there was thought to how this place functioned. The hearth with simple yet he knew that it took an expert to be able to carve from the stone in this mountain and not disturb or ruin this cave in order to have it function properly. This room was a decent size, bigger than the size of a normal hut. He wondered just how big this cave was in its’ entirety.

The dragon snorted, he still stood close to the bed of furs. Ah-Un moved their heads and sniffed the air; they spoke to one another in a language that Myōga was not fluent in. It looked as if they were discussing their worry over their lord; at least that is what the flea thought. The dragon was loyal, that was easy to sense.

Jaken was loyal too. He had been Sesshōmaru’s retainer for a long period and as far as he knew the kappa spent more time with Sesshōmaru than Myōga had ever spent with Inuyasha. Truth be told, he tried to avoid Inuyasha. That hanyō was real work for the small flea, and though he knew he must respect his former lord’s offspring, Inu Taisho had never had to deal with his son’s antics; kamis rest his soul.

That did not mean he favored Lord Sesshōmaru. The heir to the Western lands was known to be a cold and calculating yōkai, however, no matter how set in his ways he was, he did understand the role he had to undertake upon The Great Inu Daiyokai’s death.

Inuyasha, was wild and rebellious, and more oftentimes he did not heed any one’s advice or warnings. All which understandable given his upbringing and lack of support; another thing the flea was unsuccessful in. But, since the strange Miko’s appearance, the hanyō seemed to be learning, be it at a slow rate.

‘But, I have failed the hanyō lord. I was not by his side as I should have been. I should have kept trying,’ He felt the guilt in his chest. ‘I am not betraying my lord now. I am honoring his Sire by keeping the heir to the West alive, though he sometimes has the urge to murder my lord. But, I am also honoring the hanyō by keeping his companion alive.’

Jaken returned and carried a couple of pieces of split wood to the hearth, he left and returned with a few more before he was satisfied that it was enough for a decent fire. Using the staff of two-heads again he brought the wood aflame. With a loud exhale, the kappa went to sit by the opening of the room.

The night passed by slowly as they looked over the sleeping little Daiyōkai and little Miko. And when day came and they still had not moved, Myōga didn’t know if he should go out and find Inuyasha so that he and his pack could take of the situation. However, the snow storm had not yet ceased, the wind howled and some of the coldness still seeped in through the magic barrier on the entrance. The snow stayed out of the cave thankfully.

Jaken moved only to keep the fire alive. Ah-Un had long ago settled himself near the hearth, each head taking turns to stay alert it.

It was when Jaken cleared his throat, that Myōga was torn from his thoughts of worry and wanting to ignore everything if it would give his mind some rest.

“If Lord Sesshōmaru does not wake soon, I will send word for proper aid for this – ill circumstance.”

“And who do you believe would help us? There are enemies of all kind that would want to see your Lord in ruin!” The flea did not like the conniving way some high born yōkais would react should news of Sesshōmaru’s state spread.

“I’m no fool. There is only one who would ensure his safety, in his physical state and in his court.” He exhaled, somewhat dejected. Though Sesshōmaru was well respected and feared, it didn’t mean that those around him did not have their own ambition.  The false admiration of peers could be worse than a known enemy vying for power when there was a game of supremacy to be played.

“We can find Inuyasha! The miko’s friends will help find out what happened and how to fix all this.” Myōga replied, adamant that he was right in having some faith in the Inu hanyō.

“That foul beast would rather see my lord dead than ever help him!” Jaken argued.

“Surely, he would not take a coward’s route and hurt even a pup!” Myōga argued, but he felt his mind recalling the hatred the hanyō had for his older brother and how rash the boy was. Could the lad see past his anger and resentment, though he had reason to be dissatisfied with his brother? “And how do I know that who you ask of aid from will not do the same thing you fear to the little Miko?”

“There is no guarantee of that your miko would be okay,” Jaken said, a bit amused at seeing the flea peeved when he said those words. “However, the Lady Kimi is remarkable powerful being, one must be if they created the formidable Lord Sesshōmaru.”

“The Lady Kimi?!” He had not considered the mother of Sesshōmaru to be able to help, he had mentioned her early as a simple threat. In fact he rarely thought of the deadly female, since he rather feared her presence about as much, if not more, than her son. But, what would she do about the girl?

“You cannot deny that if we cannot figure this out and get things back to how it should be, we need help from someone who can bring havoc on those who might be responsible!’ Jaken huffed. “And if she believes, like you do, that the miko girl may be important to undo this, this – whatever this is, she will not be quick to discard the child.”

It made Myōga nervous to think that they would have to reach out to Lady Kimi. Jaken was right that she was the more powerful choice. She had the ability to defend her son in this vulnerable state and make any enemy fear her once they were her target.

‘It is better to have her on our side.’ Myōga admitted to himself.

“We cannot let word of this reach Naraku or any of the other blood thirsty lords.” With determined confidence the Kappa put a hand to his chest. Jaken knew of others, who envied his lord’s power and title, they would do anything to be rid of Sesshōmaru if it meant that they could control the Western lands. As for Naraku, that dirty evil spider hanyō would surely try to do something to manipulate the whole situation.

“I do not think we should dismiss that Naraku might be responsible for this.” Myōga was not certain who was behind this, but he knew that he, Jaken, and even Ah-Un had to do whatever it took to keep the child and pup safe.

Surely, Inuyasha and the rest of the pack knew that Kagome was missing and would be searching for her. If not now, then as soon as the snow let up. Yes, the hanyō was known to be the Miko’s savior so he surely would not fail her yet. He hoped.

They did not speak more. The only sounds were of the harsh wind outside, the breathing of the two sleeping youngsters, and the light snore of one of the two heads of the dragon.

***

Note: Overdue Happy New Year’s wishes to everyone.