InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ 30 Shards of Jaken ❯ Legend of the Two-Headed Dragon ( Chapter 25 )

Theme: Legend

 

Genres: Humor/Gen

 

Rating: K

 

Word Count: 800

 

Legend of the Two-Headed Dragon

 

Jaken licked his thumb and forefinger, and turned another page in the big, heavy book. He was sitting outside Kaede's hut, glancing through the pages and looking at the pictures, waiting for Lord Sesshomaru to return for him and Rin. His lord had gone off on his own after the evil spirit of the Shikon jewel, Magatsuhi.

 

His lord's idiot brother and his pet human had left too, off through the well to some other land that Jaken didn't quite understand. All he knew was that when they jumped through the well, they disappeared, but to where he couldn't fathom. They had assured their young kitsune friend that they would be back in a few days' time.

 

After they'd left, Jaken had found the book in the old miko's hut, and he'd asked her about it.

 

“What's this?” he'd said. It was unlike any type of scroll he'd ever seen. It had a strange, sturdy binding on it and a hard cover.

 

“Oh, that's one of Kagome's study books. It must have fallen out of that yellow satchel of hers. I'll return it to her when she gets back. Here, let me have it, little youkai,” Kaede had said, holding out her hand.

 

Jaken had scowled at her when she called him that, and as payback, he decided he'd keep the book. “I want to look at it,” he'd snapped, and marched outside into the bright sun.

 

The old miko seemed to find this funny for some reason, but Jaken ignored her chuckles. He sat down in the soft grass and looked over the book in his hands. It seemed almost as big as him, it was so thick.

 

Fantastical Creatures of Japanese Lore, the cover read, and Jaken marveled at this for a moment, for he had no idea what that meant.

 

Then he'd flipped through the pages, astonished to see pictures and descriptions of youkai and oni of all sorts, some of them his friends and cousins, some of them his wildest enemies, and some of which he himself had never met, but only heard of.

 

He mostly skimmed through the book absentmindedly, but now he suddenly caught sight of something that held his interest. The page was simply titled, “The Two-Headed Dragon,” and there was a drawing of a large, reptilian beast with two heads that reminded him very much of Ah-Un.

 

The two-headed dragon, the book said, is a rare and mythic creature that is believed to have once roamed Japan. It is said to have soared through the air with ease, without the use of wings…

 

Jaken nodded his head dumbly. That sure sounded like Ah-Un all right. He was just about to turn the page when something in the passage caught his eye.

 

Although its diet consisted of mostly plant life, the two-headed dragon was known to rear up on unsuspecting victims and devour them whole. There the unfortunate captive would reside in the dragon's stomach, where it would be slowly and painfully digested over the course of several days…

 

Jaken gulped, completely engrossed in the book. His heart began to race. Sure, he'd never seen Ah-Un eat anyone in all their years together with Lord Sesshomaru, but everything else in the book had been so accurate.

 

As Jaken was in mid-sentence, suddenly a huge shadow fell over his tiny body, blocking out the sun. Jaken's heart froze and slowly he turned his head up.

 

There, towering over him, were the double heads of Ah-Un. Their mouths were slightly open, hanging over him, and suddenly he realized how huge and sharp their teeth looked. They could probably devour him in one bite.

 

As this thought was trapped in Jaken's mind, to his horror, Ah-Un began to rear up above him. He cried out and covered his head, cowering on the ground. It was just like the book described! He was about to be eaten!

 

He closed his eyes and waited for the impact, for the feel of his body sliding down their slimy gullet, to be burned in the acidic cavern of their enormous belly.

 

He felt their mouths hovering over him. This was it. This was the end.

 

Something soft and wet was sliding across his head. Soon it was joined by another gentle, slimy caress.

 

Both heads of Ah-Un were nuzzling and licking the top of his head fondly.

 

“Bah! Shoo!” Jaken cried, getting up and batting the sentimental fools away. “Stupid dragon!” he called as the dumb beast lumbered away.

 

The open pages of that blasted book seemed to be staring up at Jaken from the ground, mocking him. He slammed its cover shut. It was just a book of legends. It didn't know anything.

 

Once again, he heard the aggravating laughter of that old miko coming from inside the hut.