InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A New Twist ❯ The change ( Chapter 15 )

Disclaimer: So far I do not own Inu-Yasha or Inu-Yasha related stuff. I really would like to own Inu-Yasha and Inu-Yasha related stuff, but so far life has been cruel to me.

 

Chapter 15

 

Sesshomaru had summoned many of his servants already and had only Lilly to summon. It didn't take long until the drider walked into the room. “Lilly, for the next couple days I want you to take care of Rin. I don't trust Jaken with her safety,” Sesshomaru said, his eyes darting towards the door that connected his room with Ether's

Lilly nodded without saying anything. It wasn't her place to ask her Lord questions unless he allowed it.

Sesshomaru glanced at Lilly and then sighed. “You know what is happening to Ether?” he asked softly.

Lilly nodded, her eyes focused on the floor in respect.

Sesshomaru watched Lilly for a moment before continuing. “As soon as I walk through that door, a barrier will be erected. During the time of Ether's change no one will be able to enter or exit her rooms. I do not know how long her change will be exactly, but understand this, if anything happens to Rin I will hold you responsible, unless you can prove to me Jaken had something to do with it,” Jaken had in the past disregarded Rin, which almost cost her, her life on several occasions.

Lilly nodded and bowed low. “I understand Lord Sesshomaru. You can count on me to make sure Rin is taken very good care of.”
Sesshomaru nodded and rubbed his eyes. “You are dismissed,” he said with a flick of his wrist. Why he had told her as much as he had he didn't understand. He knew Ether considered the silk maker a friend, and Rin enjoyed her company. Sesshomaru sighed and walked swiftly over to the connecting door.

Lilly bowed again and hurried to the door that would take her out of her Lord's study.

Sesshomaru opened the door, but as he did so a hand shot out and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him in swiftly. Sesshomaru growled in anger and stumbled slightly as he steadied himself. “What is the meaning of this?” He demanded as he smoothed down his rumbled clothes.

Richard rolled his eyes and leaned up against the wall. “Sarah was just about to place the seal over that door. I had to pull you through so the seal wouldn't push you away,” he said looking at his claws.

Sesshomaru's eyes went from Cypher to Sarah, his eyes widening as he watched the priestess trace an intricate symbol into the air over the door with her wand.

Sarah was mumbling as she continued her work, at the moment she was in a deep state of calm, her eyes unfocused and her body going through the mechanisms of ritual for Ether's coming of age. Her wand moved through the air in graceful swirls and arcs. The air crackled around her in a transparent aura of gold, the silver runes on her wings glowed.

Sesshomaru watched as the girl went back and forth around the room, placing candles or writing symbols and runes into the air. Power and energy crackled around her in a haze of gold. He shook his head as he realized he had put into a trance from just watching the girl.

“Yeah…it's not a good idea to watch Sarah work. Why don't you go and sit next to Ether. She'll need you once she wakes up,” Richard said, keeping his eyes on his claws.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, as he looked Richard over. Perhaps he was right, while he had been watching the priestess he had felt like he had been in some sort of hypnotic trance.

Sesshomaru stood next to Ether's bed for a moment; a chair had already been placed beside her. At the moment the young dragoness looked like she was still in a deep state of sleep, her features relaxed and completely innocent of the world. Sesshomaru took the seat next to her, and without even caring what the other two dragons thought, he reached out his hand to grip one of Ether's, mentally and physically letting her know that he was there for her, even if he did not actually say anything.

 

Ether had been floating peacefully in a calm darkness for sometime. She didn't care, she was awfully relaxed and her mind felt groggy, as if she were asleep in the darkness. She was conscious of the fact that her mind was hovering on the brink of true sleep and wakefulness. She knew what was going on, or at least she had a vague idea from what Richard had tried to explain to her.

In her strange sleep she felt herself suddenly ripped back into reality with so much force she felt the breath momentarily knocked out of her. She struggled hard as she felt something hold her down. The last thing she wanted was to have been woken up the way she had and then to be held down like she was some animal. She tried to open her eyes to see what was holding her down against the bed she was resting on, but her vision blurred and all she could see was smoke. “Where…what…” she tried to say, but her words came out in whimpers as she felt how dry and sore her throat was. When was the last time she had drunken anything?

“Everything's…alright Ether,” she heard a deep hesitant voice murmur as she whimpered again, realizing how hungry and lightheaded she felt. She tried to push herself into a sitting position, but her muscles felt like jello and wouldn't respond to her. She panted softly as she attempted to open her eyes again. This was not what Richard had said would happen. She had expected pain, horrible; horrible pain to start right when she had woken up. She had not expected to only feel hungry and thirsty, as well as dizzy. Where was the horrible pain Richard had talked about? Just as that thought crossed her mind, it was like her body finally remembered what it was supposed to do and a searing pain raced across her body. Ether had to suppress a tearful yelp by burying her face into the pillow she had been just sleeping on.

 

“Ether? Ether can you hear me?” Sesshomaru asked softly, worry gently lacing his words as he watched Ether burry her face into her pillow. He had caught the flash of pain before she had turned her face away, he had heard her whimper when she had first awoken, but what could he do for her now? He wasn't overly emotional, nor did he know how to distract her from her pain. If Rin could have been there he could have stood back as the small girl tried to help, but Rin was human and the last thing Ether needed at the moment was a human.

Sesshomaru winced slightly as a shudder of pain racked Ether's body suddenly. He had expected the girl to scream in pain, or at least to whimper and cry, but instead she had buried her face and was gripping his hand as if she would loose him. “I'm…I'm here Ether,” he mumbled, his eyes shifting for a moment to rest on the priestess that was now sitting across from him. Her eyes were closed and as he felt another spasm of pain grip Ether, Cypher's mate also shuddered in pain. `She's trying to take the brunt of it,' he thought suddenly. He looked over at Richard, who had his back to his mate and was shivering in anger. It seemed Richard did not approve of his mate trying to take Ether's pain. `And why should he?' Sesshomaru thought. `If my senses are correct, Cypher's mate is with pup.'

 

Ether clenched her hands as the pain that built inside her warped her mind and brought forth a fever she had never encountered before in her young life. In the back of her mind, the only part that was unoccupied with the pain, she heard the voice of someone she knew she loved, she also registered a large, clawed hand holding hers delicately.

She sobbed silently into her pillow as she almost could hear the bones in her feet cracking and growing into a new shape, a slightly larger shape. Her miniature wings, wings her mother had loved even though they were small, felt like they were being ripped from her back, stretched and yanked by invisible hands.

Her mind began to wonder idly as the pain enveloped her body and most of her instincts. Did her mother ever have to go through this much pain when she was her age? Or was it easier on her since she had been a full dragon? `I miss her…so much,' she heard herself think just as another wave of pain washed over her body. This time her hands started to sting and her fingertips felt like they were being pinched. She could have sworn patches of skin all across her body were being ripped off. These pains were at least a hundred times worse then growing pains! At least with growing pains you could ignore most of what was going on. She lost all sense of time as her change went on, forcing her body to grow in inhuman ways.

`Momma….why did you leave me, when you knew I would need you?' Ether sobbed as she gripped the hand holding hers. How she wished that hand was her mother's, or even her aunt's hand for that matter! She wished with all her heart her mother could just return, if only for a short time, to hold her and comfort her like she had done when she was really little.

Unbeknownst to Ether, her wish came true in a way.

 

Sarah gasped as she felt a spiritual presence intrude in her mind and take control of her body. She had been trying to take the brunt of Ether's pain, but it felt like Ether had been fighting her, keeping everything at arms length including the people that could have helped her. Sarah had made some head way into Ether's mind and had started to drain away and numb parts of Ether from the pain. It was during this time that she heard Ether's wish and then felt the spiritual presence take control.

Sarah was placed into the back seat of her own mind and she was able to watch exactly what was going on.

Richard felt this change in his mate and swiveled in surprise and fear. He hadn't wanted his mate to burden herself with the pain of Ether, because he was worried about their unborn baby, but he knew what Sarah's responsibilities were. When he felt a change in Sarah's aura though, he knew something had gone wrong. He took a step forward, but when he moved to hurry to Sarah's side he felt his body being held back. `What the hell?' he tried to scream, but was unable to find his voice.

“Ether…Ether look at me honey,” Sarah heard herself say. It wasn't her voice, or it was but it sounded off. She felt and saw her hand reach out to stroke Ether's hair.

 

Ether sniffled and winced as she felt a hand on her hair and the voice asking her to turn her head to look at the speaker. That voice…it was familiar and yet something she hadn't heard since…her head snapped to the side and instead of seeing Sarah, she saw the image of her mother. “Momma?!” She asked in astonishment as her eyes streaked with tears of pain, love, surprise, and most of all, loneliness.

By now everyone could see what Ether could see, although when they looked at Sarah, they saw a ghostly figure sitting where Sarah was. Within the ghostly figure, if they looked close enough, they could see Sarah, her eyes an endless shade of gold.

The ghostly figure smiled and nodded. “Yes sweet heart, it's me.” The figure nodded slightly and then ran a finger along Ether's pain filled face. “I can't stay long dear heart…I only came because you needed me, more then you have ever needed me,” she whispered.

Sesshomaru watched with wide, mystified eyes as the deceased figure of Ether's mother sat just across from him. He didn't move nor did he remove his hand from Ether's tight grip as he watched the ghostly, transparent woman run her hands along Ether's face and hair.

“I've missed you my light, so has your aunt, but you've got to be strong now,” Cassandra said, her image starting to fade.

Ether whimpered and her eyes blurred with more tears. She didn't know if she could be strong right now. The pain was lacing across her body and her head started to ache and the skin around her face felt like it was being cut at with knives. She closed her eyes and turned her face back into the pillow. “I'll…I'll try momma,” She whispered softly. She didn't want her momma to see her cry anymore.

Cassandra smiled a small, sad smile. She lifted her gaze to Sesshomaru and studied him for a moment. “You better take care of her, or else I'll have your head one way or another,” she said in an eerily echoy voice.

Sesshomaru felt his skin crawl as the phantom version of Ether's mother looked him over and then spoke to him. He felt his head bow in respect and acknowledgement. He had already decided he would do his best to take care of Ether, to ensure she lived a happy wonderful life.

“Good,” Everyone, including the waiting Sarah, heard. The form of Cassandra grew even dimmer and Sarah could feel herself regain control of her body. In her head she heard Cassandra tell her not to try and take anymore of Ether's pain, although numbing it was fine. She could feel the motherly warmth come from Cassandra as she departed.

Richard felt the barrier that had been holding him back lift and he bolted to his mate, sniffing at their mating mark to ensure she was alright.

Sarah giggled softly when a tickling sensation started around her left shoulder. “I'm fine Richard, really,” she murmured as she laid a hand on Richard's bowed head.

 

Ether heard what was being said around her, but with the departure of her mother's soul into the after life once more, she didn't register what the words meant. The pain, which had subsided briefly when the spiritual form of her mother had arrived, returned in full and now reconsumed her entire mind. She arched her back slightly in pain as the pulling, tearing, and wrenching feeling returned.

 

The change took nearly ten hours to finally subside into a dull ache. The last part of the change, a few features that would give Ether a more “womanly” appearance wouldn't be as painful and they at least wouldn't take as long to finish since the last part of the change would be primarily flesh instead of bone.

Ether had slowly loosened her death grip on Sesshomaru's hand and had fallen into a light, feverish sleep as the last of the change gripped her. After what she had been through, this last part felt like a light pinch.

Sesshomaru, had never released Ether's hand, nor had he ever left his sitting position next to her. Sarah hadn't tried to remove any of Ether's pain, but she had done what she could in numbing parts of it. Everyone looked exhausted, but at least Ether was finally resting.

“Everything will be fine now,” Sarah murmured as her mate supported her tired body. This had been a more trying coming of age change she had ever had to preside over.

Richard nodded and nuzzled the top of his mate's head to comfort her. He knew how worn she was and that she needed to go and rest.

“So, will you be lowering the barriers now?” Sesshomaru asked, his emotionless mask of ice brought back over his face.

Sarah shook her head sadly. “Not yet. I shouldn't even try to for another day. If the wrong kind of energy comes in contact with her right now, before she is strong enough to defend herself, the effect could be disastrous on her.

Sesshomaru looked down at the sleeping dragoness. She didn't look completely different, although her wings were now the size of Sarah's and Richards, her feet had a paw like appearance, her claws were shaper, her tail was longer, and in the center of her forehead was a vertical third eye, which was closed at the moment. Her face looked the same, other then the third eye, it still held a beauty he had never seen before in his life.

Her hair had more stripes of gold weaving through it, and from where her arms and legs where uncovered, stripes of gold scales, similar to his own purple stripes that covered his own body, could be seen. “Can the two of you pass through the barriers?” Sesshomaru asked casually.

Sarah glanced at Richard and it was Richard who replied. “Yes, we can. If you want, we could go get something for you and Ether to eat?”

Sesshomaru nodded. “Some water too,” he said, his eyes resting on Ether. He at least had noticed how talking had seemed to hurt her.

Richard nodded and gently, well gently for him, led Sarah towards the door that would lead them from Ether's room and into the hall.

Sesshomaru heard them leave, but his gaze continued to rest on Ether. Her head was turned towards him and he could see her beautiful lips part slightly as she breathed lightly in her sleep. His hand was still clasped with hers.

 

 

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Ok, Chapter 15 is done, even though I don't have my 11 reviews yet :: pouts cutely :: oh well, I'll start on 16 right away. Guess what….I'm going to graduate high school!!!! Yay me!...wait…that means I have to find a job and then go to college…:: thinks for a moment :: I'll never get real free time!

 

Moral of life: Free time is the greatest myth of all!