InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A New Twist ❯ A deal to make ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I do not now nor have I ever owned Inu-Yasha or the characters from Inu-Yasha. Nor do I own the original plot or the messed up plot of later seasons. I do own my characters that live in my head…or do they own me?

 

Chapter 6

 

Ether pulled off her clothes for the day and slipped into a robe. Lilly had pointed out where the bathing chamber was and she was planning on enjoying soaking for a long time. She smiled and picked up some nightclothes to change into. She sighed as she heard a knock on the door and Lilly's voice as she entered. “Are you ready Ether? I stocked the hot springs with new scents and some foreign cleaning sands.” Lilly called out as Ether came out of her bedroom.

She smiled and shifted the bundle of clothes in her arms. “I'm all ready, shall we?” she asked with a big happy grin. She had loved being here for the past few days. She giggled softly, she could still remember Sesshomaru's rare smile as they had played cards. She was glad she had been able to make him smile; she liked how his face lit up for a split second with some kind of emotion. It made him seem, more real to her. `I wish I could stay here for ever and try to get him smile more.' She thought calmly to herself. She wouldn't mind living here forever, just as long as Sesshomaru was around. She wasn't going to deny it to herself, she was falling in love. She sighed softly and glanced at the door that she guessed connected their rooms. `If only it wasn't locked.' She thought to herself. She then blushed horribly and followed Lilly out of her rooms and towards the bathing chamber.

Sesshomaru paced his sleeping chambers. He could hear the girl preparing to go to the bathing chamber. He stopped when he heard Lilly's voice. He felt a slight rumble build up in his chest and come out as a growl. He shook his head to stop growling. Why was he acting this way towards a girl that he had first kidnapped, and second lied to? He went to his window and summoned his cloud. `To get rid of these feelings, I have to get rid of the source.' He thought as he jumped onto the cloud and raced towards his brother, his only intention was to give them his ultimatum.

 

Kagome and Inu-Yasha had had another fight, again about her returning home. She had a bad feeling that something had happened to her sister, but Inu-Yasha hadn't listened. “Inu-Yasha, I need to go home!” Kagome yelled. Shippo was sitting next to Kirara. Miroku and Sango were watching and drinking tea next to the fire.

Kagome was about to yell sit when Inu-Yasha turned away and sniffed into the air. He looked frightened and then angry. “Sesshomaru,” he spat out as he stepped in front of Kagome protectively. Shippo eeped and hid behind a hissing Kirara. Sango immediately took out her bone boomerang and Miroku held up his staff to cast spells. Sesshomaru stepped into the clearing lightly.

“Hello little brother, I see you have yet to learn manners.” Sesshomaru said, as if he didn't really care, trying to taunt Inu-Yasha.

Inu-Yasha looked pissed. He sniffed again and took a step back in surprise. “You're smell...It's” he paused for a moment as his mind worked and realization hit him fast “You have Kagome's sister don't you?!”

Kagome gasped and lifted her bow, if it was true, she wouldn't hesitate to shoot him. “Is it true?” she asked with a shaking voice. She didn't doubt Inu-Yasha's ability to know this sort of thing.

Sesshomaru shrugged and waved his hand in front of him as if he didn't care. “I do. I found her next to an old well and took her to my castle to make sure she wouldn't be hurt seeing as there was no one with her.” Sesshomaru said, he shifted his hand so that it rested on Tokijin.

Kagome was shaking in fear, what had he done to her? Was Ether alright? “What have you done to her!” she demanded in a cold voice. “I swear if you hurt her I'd…”

“You have nothing to fear. I would not harm one of her kind. Even if she is half-human she is still a dragon.” He said with a little dispassion. Inside he was furious that this human wench would think he would harm a rare dragon! Even a half dragon deserved a lot more respect then any other creature at least he thought so.

“I have a proposition for you.” Sesshomaru started. “I'll give you your sister…” he hesitated. He wanted to say if they gave him Tetsusaiga, but instead he said something else. “If you bring her back every time you return. At which point I will come to take her back to my castle. She is teaching the young girl that travels with me how to read and I do not wish to stop these lessons.”

Kagome's bow slumped in her hands. She was surprised by this request just as much as Inu-Yasha was. “What if I don't let her return?” Kagome asked slowly. In an instant Sesshomaru was at her throat, his eyes starting to turn red.

“You will return with her, or else I will be forced to bring harm to one of you.” He said as simply as he could. He was yelling at himself in his mind. He had given up his only bargaining tool for the Tetsusaiga, but then…who wanted a sword one could not wield? Of course he could attach a human arm to himself, but that would be degrading.

Kagome gulped and pulled at his hand at her throat. She nodded quickly before Inu-Yasha could attack. Who knew what Sesshomaru would do to Ether if they refused? “Fine, Ether will come back with me every time I return. But she has to go home with me to,” She said with hard eyes. “It's only fair.”

Sesshomaru nodded and released her. It was fair for Ether to go and return with her sister. “Agreed.” He called down a white bird with a long flowing tail. “When you are returning to your home, or need assistance, you can send Mimi here. She will come to me and inform me.” He said, nodding to the bird. Mimi then glided to Kagome and landed on her shoulder gently.

Kagome watched the bird in awe. “How do we know we can trust you Sesshomaru?” Sango demanded, still prepared to fight. She had never trusted Sesshomaru, and she never would.

Sesshomaru turned cold eyes towards the one called Sango. “I never break my word…and that is what I give. My word that I will take good care of Ether and that I will return her when the miko returns home.” He said as he turned to reenter the trees.

Inu-Yasha yelled for him to stop. “Sesshomaru, why are you interested in Ether?” He asked, Tetsusaiga still raised, as if to entice Sesshomaru to try and take it.

Sesshomaru looked at the sword a moment then at Inu-Yasha. “I am interested in her for Rin's sake. I wish for her to know how to read and write and Ether has offered to teach her.” An out right lie, but it sounded pretty good to him. He then turned and ran into the woods so that they would not be able to stop him again. He grinned to himself as he ran towards his land, and where he would summon his cloud to ride the rest of the way. He was now able to see Ether often, and yet make it seem like the only reason he wanted her near him was so that Rin would get the teaching she deserved. He laughed softly and then growled at himself. Why would he want Ether near him anyway? He could not deny that she was lovely, or that her dragon blood called out to him in strange ways, but there was a minuscule amount of human in her and that should have deterred him. And yet it did not, why? It was true that the dragon blood was so strong that she could easily be thought of as a dragon, but it was still there, keeping her from her full potential until some one was willing to train her.

Perhaps he would be the one to train her? He mused to himself, half aware that he had summoned his cloud and was flying towards his castle…and Ether.

 

(A little while back in time, during the time Sesshomaru left.)

Ether smiled as she followed Lilly through the hall and towards a door at the other end of the wing. It was a larger door and as they approached, Ether could feel the air around it warm up. “You said these were hot springs?” she asked, a little curious. She knew that she was a few stories up, but she wanted to know how hot springs could be a few stories up as well. Last she checked they didn't have running hot water during Feudal Japan.

“There are. Lord Sesshomaru had them especially designed and built by some of the greatest demon architects in Japan, and a few were even foreigners!” Lilly said, as if it was the greatest thing in the world to be able to afford to build your own hot springs.

Ether sighed and shook her head slightly, still following Lilly as she opened the door and led the way in. She was glad to have a friend like Lilly, who was patient and tried to understand, and at times explained what Ether didn't understand. Ether was so deep in thought that when she first entered the hot springs or, as she liked to call it, the huge room with tons of really steamy baths! Ether pulled herself out of her thoughts and gasped as she looked at the mini waterfalls moving the water under a wall and out of sight. She could have sworn she had walked into the most luxurious spa!

“Lord Sesshomaru had it made so that the water would always stay clean, no matter how filthy the bather is.” Lilly looked around before whispering. “Sometimes, when he comes home from a battle, he can be really dirty and bloody.” She giggled and led the way to a curtained off area to change.

Ether was still in awe at just the size of the demon made hot springs. Even the spas in Sweden would be jealous! She giggled at the thought and quickly stripped before half jumping into one of the large pools. She sighed as the hot water enveloped her body. Lilly, even slower then Ether, slowly climbed in, careful to keep her head and arms out of the water. Ether figured it was because of the bug instincts. Bugs never really did well in water, in fact most drowned. Ether shook her head at her thoughts and leaned back in the water, just relaxing there. “This is wonderful!” she cried out with a big happy smile.

Lilly returned the smile. She nodded, but stayed a little tense in the water. She liked the warmth of the water, and the feeling of it around her, but she could never get rid of her natural instincts that made her fear going into the water. She had tried for years to break this fear, by slowly walking into deeper water until it was up to her chin, but she had never been able to force herself farther. Her family had once called her strange for trying to fight what she was. She wasn't fighting what she was, just a weakness in her that irritated her.

Ether had her eyes closed as she sank into the water just below her nose. She then ducked under the water quickly and then surfaced, leaning back against the wall of the pool. `This is heaven' she thought to herself as she opened her eyes to glance at Lilly. “Are you alright Lilly?” she asked worriedly. She had noticed the stiffness and the stillness in her friend, but she was still worried about her.

Lilly smiled warmly and nodded. “I am suffering from a past fear that will never go away.” She stated simply, in a way that spoke that she did not wish to continue discussing her fear.

Ether nodded in acceptance that her friend did not wish to speak on the matter. After a time, the two left the water, Ether's hands and skin in general wrinkly from being in to long. Lilly wasn't as bad off, but her face was flushed slightly.

Ether laughed at her wrinkles and shook her head, pulling on her dry, warm clothes. “I look like an old maid,” she said, sticking out her tongue in disgust. This was rewarded with a laugh from Lilly.

“Yes you do very much look like an old maid. Perhaps the wrinkles will stay?” she teased lightly, poking at Ether's hand.

Ether laughed and jokingly hunched over. “I'll need to walk like this all day now!”

Ether stood as they both laughed and joked. Her water wrinkles faded, but they were still laughing when there was a soft cough at Ether's bedchamber door.
They both stopped laughing immediately when they saw it was Lord Sesshomaru at the door. Lilly stood and bowed, quickly leaving. Ether looked after her in with sadness; she wanted to talk to her friend still.

Sesshomaru closed the door after Lilly left and slowly approached Ether.

“I have just spoken with your sister.” He said plainly and clearly, his eyes quickly dancing over Ether's body. She had not noticed it, but her robe had come undone slightly and her still growing chest was revealed slightly to his view. He had to force his strange thoughts of her back down into the corner of his mind so that he did not do something he would regret.

Ether grinned when Sesshomaru told her he had spoken to her sister. “You have? Is she doing all right? Does she plan on coming to get me so we can go home?” she quickly asked, not really thinking about what she had asked.

Sesshomaru winced very slightly. Was Ether so eager to leave him and his home? “She plans on returning in a few days. An arrangement has been made so that when she is preparing to leave, I will take you to her. And when she returns, you will return with her and shall come here.” He said lightly and evenly, watching for Ether's reaction. If she didn't like the idea of returning, then he would know that she didn't like it here. He had thought he had done nothing to make her uncomfortable. He had paid one of the best silk makers to make her beautiful kimonos and gowns, he had let her wander his castle all she wanted, he had allowed her to go into his hot springs to bath, and not only that, he had given her private rooms in his own wing of the castle. He sighed inwardly; he had hoped to make her comfortable and had hoped to make her like it here in his castle…so that she would want to stay.

Ether's grin brightened and she nodded. “That's great! I like the idea of coming back here to visit with Lilly and little Rin!” She had grown fond of Rin and her hyper happiness, that and the fact that she was able to torment Jaken. Ether didn't really like Jaken.

Sesshomaru's mood lightened, but then darkened again when she mentioned coming back to Lilly and Rin…but not himself.

Ether seemed to notice this slight change and she got up and went to him. Without fear, she wrapped her arms around him. “And of course I will return to see you again.” She said softly, with a big smile.

Sesshomaru was shocked and unnerved by this physical gesture. He should strike her where she stood, making her fall back and beg for mercy for touching him, Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands. But he did not. Instead he slowly encircled the girl with his arm. “I will look forward to you coming back.” He said softly.

His words made Ether smile more loving, though she did not think he could see it since her head was turned towards the ground.

 

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Ok then, 6th chapter is done and ready for everyone to read and review. Until I get a few more reviews, I won't update. I will tell you know that I have the next chapters written out and ready to be typed. This is a warning for all that wish to continue reading.