InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A New Twist ❯ Three days left ( Chapter 12 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Disclaimer: In no way do I own Inu-Yasha or Inu-Yasha related plots/topics/characters/clothes/icons/copyrights/ect. It would be nice to, but I'm currently trying to only buy Sesshomaru. I own all my own original characters as well as my mind and my own plots. I also own a new MP3 player, photoshopCS2 program, my puppy, my manga's, :: continues listing off stuff until Richard walks up and smacks her over the head ::.
Chapter 12
`Three days left.' Ether thought sadly with her chin on the table. Her hair fell over her eyes as she looked at the strange board game of sorts that Sesshomaru had brought her. He was trying to teach it to her and it sort of reminded her of checkers. She sighed as she reached out to move one of her little black stones.
Sesshomaru chuckled and moved a white stone over three places. “I win again Ether.” He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. His smirk deepened into a smile as Ether proclaimed various curses' with her face now against the table. He frowned as the curses tapered off and Ether's breathing evened out. He stood and walked around the table to check on her. “Ether?” He knew she was asleep even before he had said her name.
Sighing, Sesshomaru lifted the sleeping dragoness into his arm, using a levitation spell to aid himself, and carried her towards the hidden door that connected their rooms. He walked right up to it and it swung open without a sound. In only seconds Sesshomaru was laying Ether down on her bed, on her side to keep from smashing her delicate small golden wings. Why had she fallen asleep as abruptly as she had? `Perhaps Cypher will know.' He thought idly to himself. He figured that dragon would know.
Richard sighed as he paced his room for the tenth time. Time…that was what he needed. Ether's birthday was coming closer and for the past couple weeks he had been collecting the necessary ritual objects as well as training and subduing tools. He had everything now; all that was needed was for Ether to go into her hibernation. “It should be happening any day now.” He muttered, in fact it should have happened two days ago.
Richard stopped pacing as an urgent knock interrupted his thoughts. He walked over and swiftly opened the door to allow Lord Sesshomaru to enter.
“Ether seems to have fallen into a deep sleep.” He stated without revealing any of his worry for her.
Richard sighed and relaxed. “Finally, it should have happened two days ago you know.” He moved past Sesshomaru into the hall and towards Ether's rooms. It had been decided that Richard would have a room in Sesshomaru's wing in order to stay near enough to Ether to help her when the time came. He hurried into Ether's rooms and to her bedroom where he found Ether fast asleep. Sesshomaru was next to him in less then a second.
“You knew this would happen?” Sesshomaru demanded in a hard cold voice.
“Well of course I did. It happens to all dragons when they are coming of age, although it's different for half dragons.” He sighed and shook his head, turning to head back to his room to get his supplies. “In three days Ether will wake up suddenly in great pain.” He glanced over his shoulder to see Sesshomaru following after him.
“Why pain?” he asked coldly.
“Because her full dragon abilities will awaken during that time. Her wings will grow at a rapid pace, her blood and body will reject any if not all of her human blood and traits, and her mind will become open to everything around her. She will hear everything's thoughts and her own will be wild and chaotic for a time.” He glanced at Sesshomaru again as he levitated all the necessary items. “I'll need your help though.” Richard sighed irritably. “It's not normal for a dragon to have only one other helping them through this. Typically five or six dragons would help her and hold her and assure her that the pain would pass. I'll need you to comfort her since she trusts you.” He said as he started to set up the objects around the room. They were rudimentary and they were different from the tools that were used in his time, but they would work.
Sesshomaru nodded and watched the sleeping dragoness as Richard set everything up. “What will I need to do?” He asked, his eyes never leaving Ether.
“Just comfort her. Hold her as well, that'll help.” Richard said not paying attention. He started lighting candles and chanting softly. “The more non-human contact she has the better,” He added softly.
Sesshomaru stood there silently for a moment before reaching out hesitantly to push a strand of hair out of Ether's face. His hand trailed her cheek and she sighed in her sleep. He smiled minutely and lifted his hand away. He turned on his heal and walked towards the hidden door that led into his own room. “Summon me when she awakens.” He stated simply as he closed the door behind himself. He headed towards the window, he didn't have much time to find his brothers group and tell them what was going on. He summoned his cloud and floated up and out of his balcony. He closed his eyes for a moment, hovering there until he was able to find Mimi's scent. He had told Mimi to stay with them unless she was coming back to deliver a message.
Richard sighed as he finished setting up. How would he be able to contact him if he was gone? `oh well' he thought idly to himself. He walked over the Ether's side and looked her over carefully. `I'm not suited for this kind of thing.' He thought to himself. He sighed and bowed his head in thought as Ether's chest rose and fell lightly. He looked over her sleeping face and memories of his own coming of age floated to the surface.
*Flash Back*
Richard gritted his teeth in pain. His back was burning as his wings rapidly grew. His skin itched horribly as scales grew in intricate patterns across his flesh. “He'll still be partially demon,” a voice said. He opened his eyes only to see a stranger blurry figure hovering over him. “His demon blood is very strong. A rare case in deed.”
Richard glared and tried to roll over onto his side. His hands balled into fists and his claws dug into the flesh of his palm. Crimson blood seeped out of his hand and onto the sheets of the bed he was laying on. He panted and barely felt the cool hand on his brow. “Sir, he's burning up,” a soft feminine voice said. He recognized that voice; it was the voice of his mate Sarah. He moaned and reached out with a bloodied hand to grasp her wrist. “Sarah,” he chocked out her name through gritted teeth.
She shifted her grip and took his hand in her other hand. “I'm here Richard, I'm here.” He felt her lean close to kiss the back of his neck comfortingly. He gritted his teeth in pain as another wave of it washed over him. He couldn't take much more of it. He just couldn't.
*End Flash back*
Richard shivered at the memory. It had been one of the most painful times of his life and it had made him feel so helpless. Sarah had been worried and upset, and that had brought out his demonic urge to destroy what was making her feel that way. And to think Sarah had gone through her own coming of age only a few months after he did. Several other dragons had had to restrain him from killing the healers as his instincts had screamed at him to protect his mate.
Richard sighed as he sat down on the edge of Ether's bed. It would be a few days until Ether woke up and started her own coming of age.
*Flash Back*
“Richard!” Sarah screamed as the healers restrained her. Tears coursed down her cheeks and she struggled against the bindings they were placing her in. She screamed and pleaded to be let go, of both the bindings and the pain. “Richard!” she cried out again as her wings twitched and the healers did their best to cool her burning flesh. The silver ruins on her wings shimmered and flashed as her coming of age reached its peak.
Richard roared and fought against the warriors that were holding him back from his mate. Every time she shook from the pain, every time she screamed his name made him struggle against the hands and him. He wanted to wrench the healer's heads from their shoulders, he wanted to rip the bindings from his mate and take her away from this place. He knew what he wanted was wrong, that it would only make things worse in the end, but he couldn't help it.
“I told you we shouldn't have let them mate until after her coming of age,” One of the healer's whispered as Richard gave one of the warriors a black eye. Sarah whimpered and sobbed as she felt the pain lace its self around her body. She needed her mate, where was he? She could feel his presence, he was close, but why wasn't he holding her and making the pain stop? “Richard,” She whimpered his name, the pain making her body nearly shut down from exhaustion.
Richard felt tears roll down his cheek as he felt feelings of loneliness and pain lace through the connection he and his mate shared. He struggled harder, but his strength was failing him. He slid to his knees, but his eyes never left the figure of his mate. He whimpered and pulled at the hands that were holding him down, his eyes blood red and his markings bright blue in contrast to their normal red and black. He tried to comfort his mate with small whimpers and growls, but he knew she needed more then that; she needed him to physically stop the pain.
*End Flash Back*
In the end, when both he and Sarah had been too exhausted to really harm anyone, they had let him go to her. By then the change had been nearly complete and he had curled around her as best he could. Their instincts had taken quit a beating and Sarah had admitted later to him she had felt a little betrayed because he hadn't gone to her right away. She knew it hadn't been his fault, and she had apologized for feeling that way in the first place, but the event had forced the Dragon council to create a new law. Dragons were not to take life mates until after their 17th birthdays.
Richard sighed and shook his head at the memories. It had been really rough on both he and his mate.
Sesshomaru flew across the sky at a lighting pace. He had found Mimi's scent and now it was only a matter of seconds for him to get to the group. As he started a slow decent he spotted a smokeless fire through forest branches. He sighed and landed a ways off so as to not disturb the group. He would walk the rest of the way while revealing his presence. Who knew what his stupid brother would do if he suddenly just showed up.
He paused at the edge of the shadows to listen to the conversation for the moment.
“Inu-Yasha, I'm getting worried. Ether's birthday is a few days away and I don't know what exactly is going to happen,” the voice of Inu-Yasha's miko said. Sesshomaru sighed and stepped up to the campsite.
“That is why I am here,” He said, announcing his presence. The group practically jumped as the silver haired demon lord walked into the fire light.
“That is why I am here,” He said, announcing his presence. The group practically jumped as the silver haired demon lord walked into the fire light.
Mimi chirruped and flew to her master, hovering over one shoulder and then landing on the other so her tail curled around his neck.
“Sesshomaru!” Sango the demon exterminator proclaimed in a whispered tone.
“How is my sister doing?” Kagome asked hesitantly.
Sesshomaru sighed. “She has fallen into a hybernative type slumber. The dragon Richard states that it is normal that she sleep like this for a few days and then begin her change on the day of her birth.”
Kagome frowned. “Won't she be awfully week by the time her change starts?”
Sesshomaru sighed again. “I suppose her human side will be weekend by the hibernation, but her draconic side will not.”
There was silence in the camp for several minutes; no one really had anything else to say.
Kagome broke the silence by suddenly riffling through her backpack. “Sesshomaru, could you give a few things to Ether on her birthday for me, since I can't be anywhere near her?” Kagome asked sadly. She pulled out four packages. One from their mother, the other from grandpa, an oddly shaped one was from Sota and the last one was from her.
Sesshomaru nodded and took the packages, unaware of what they really were. They simply seemed like oddly wrapped items. “I will make sure she gets them,” the great lord said with a slight bow. He looked over the packages and then the group. There seemed like nothing else needed to be done. “Mimi, stay with them and report to me once every five days,” he murmured softly so she could hear him.
Mimi nodded her bird like head and glided off of her lord's shoulders and back onto the tree branch she had bene sitting on before.
Sesshomaru turned and left the camp, not really thinking there was anything else to be said. He summoned his cloud only a few feet from the camp and ascended into the sky. He would head home for now, and place the packages in Ether's room.
Richard sighed as he shifted in the chair he was sitting in. He had been watching Ether for hours now and that was only because he didn't want to leave her alone. “Where's Sesshomaru?” He said out loud. He yawned and murmured something, and just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt a clawed hand clamp down on his shoulder.
Richard jumped with an “I didn't do it!” exclamation.
“You didn't do what?” Sesshomaru asked as he released Richard's shoulder and walked closer to Ether's bed.
“Um…nothing,” he said as he rubbed the back of his head watching the Lord of the Western Lands.
Sesshomaru looked down at the sleeping figure, his eyes scanning the calm and relaxed features of the young dragoness. He extended a clawed hand to sweep a strand of hair out of her face.
“Three days until she awakens, that is what you said earlier,” he stated, his eyes lifting from her face to settle on Richard.
Richard nodded and yawned again. “Yeah, three days, until then there isn't anything we can really do for her.”
“Cypher…tell me something, does a full dragon go through this?” Sesshomaru asked, his eyes narrowing.
Richard hesitated then sighed. “In a way, yes. They don't go into a deep sleep, but they do have immense pain as their body goes under the change.”
“Why is it only half-dragons sleep then?” Sesshomaru asked, the answer already forming in his mind.
“Well, the deep sleep is supposed to starve and weaken the part of the body that isn't dragon. That way it is easier for the dragon half to grow.” Richard explained as he turned to head for the door.
“Where are you going?” Sesshomaru demanded.
“I'm going to take a nap. Everything is ready for when Ether wakes up,” Richard said with another yawn. “After my nap I was thinking I would head back through the well to get my mate. She should be able to help,” he said with a sigh. Sarah was a person that was good at comforting young dragons while they were going their change.
“Your mate will be able to help then?” Sesshomaru asked suspiciously.
“Yes, she has experience with comforting dragons going through their change. And because she is a golden silver mix Ether might relax more in her presence. Dragons of similar colors get along better then dragons of different colors.” He was a black and red dragon so it was possible Ether might try to run from him during her change, which wouldn't be a good idea. It also helped that his mate was more thoroughly trained in helping dragons in their coming of age.
Sesshomaru thought this over for a moment and then nodded. “So be it. You may retrieve your mate after you rest, you have one day to return with her,” he stated before turning his back on the male dragon. He eyes burned with emotion as he gazed upon the sleeping Ether.
“Right, I'm so glad I have your permission,” Richard stated under his breath.
Sesshomaru growled softly but stopped when the door closed behind Cypher. Sesshomaru knelt next to Ether's bed and his hand slipped into Ether's hand. “You'll be alright,” he whispered, more for himself then for Ether. “I'll make sure of it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Um….short…sorry