InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Like My Master ❯ Ch. 4: Settling In ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
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Like My Master
By: Miyukyshan

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Chapter Four: Settling In

Sayu watched the toad demon in front of her curiously. He grumbled loudly under his breath and looked back at her occasionally to glare. She would have smiled had the injury on her back not been sending sharp spikes of pain through her body. They seemed to walk forever, turning here and there with Jaken yelling at a servant who didn't move out of his way quick enough. He finally stopped and turned to face her in front of two large sliding doors.

"This is your room, Slave. It's connected directly to Rin's so if anything goes wrong you will be held responsible." Jaken gave her a disgusted look and covered his nose with the sleeve of his tunic. "A bath has already been prepared. Try to wash some of your stink off. Your stench is very offensive to one such as Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken said before disappearing down another hallway.

Sayu lifted her arm and sniffed. She didn't smell like roses, but she certainly didn't think her scent could offend anyone. Sayu glared at the corner Jaken disappeared around before sliding the screen open and stepping into her new room. It was much bigger than the other one, with a door on three walls and a large window on the fourth. There was a beautifully carved wooden table against one of the walls and a small dresser against the other. Once again, her mat was already prepared and she smiled. She hadn't had a bed to sleep in since her first master, and she never had a bedroom, so having both was overwhelming to her. Sayu walked over to her bed and ran her hand over the soft bedding. She sighed and turned to fall onto it when a demon servant came out of the door on the left wall.

"Your bath is ready. Please follow me."

Sayu ignored her scowl and followed the woman into the adjoining room. A huge tub of water sat steaming in the middle of it. Perfumes and oils were added and made the room smell like a garden. Sayu inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, unaware of the demoness coming up behind her to help undress. When she started tugging Sayu's clothes off her shoulders Sayu froze momentarily before turning and grabbing the woman's arm and then flinging her over her body. Once the shocked demoness was on the ground Sayu dropped a knee to her back and pinned her there.

The woman beneath her started shrieking and tried to throw Sayu off her back, but Sayu wouldn't budge. She twisted the demon's arm and pressed it against her spine and winced when the woman beneath her let out a shrill scream. The door leading into the bath crashed open and Sayu looked up into angry golden eyes.

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Sesshomaru slid the door open slowly; peering in to make sure Rin wasn't sleeping. The little girl was sitting on her bed playing with an armful of dolls the demon lord brought her from his travels. When she saw him her face lit up with a bright smile and she dropped her toys to run to him.

"Lord Sesshomaru! You're already back. Did you find someone? Did you find a woman?"

Sesshomaru watched as Rin bounced up and down at his feet. "Jaken suggested I get you a male protector." He almost laughed when the smile disappeared from her face. "But I found you a suitable human woman."

Rin's eyes widened and she trembled with excitement. Sesshomaru thought she might explode but she wrapped herself tightly around his leg and squealed happily.

"A human! You found me a human woman! Do you think she'll like me?"

Sesshomaru gently pressed her away from his leg and watched as she flew around her room trying to pick out something to wear.

"Oh Lord Sesshomaru, what should I wear when I first meet her? What's her favorite color? Does she like flowers?" Rin paused to allow Sesshomaru to answer. She was disheartened when he just stared. "Do you know anything about her?" Rin asked, a little put off by her father-figure's lack of interest in her qualifications for her new guardian.

"She is able to protect you, Rin. What do I care if she likes flowers?"

Rin pouted and crossed her arms. "I'll ask her then." Rin walked towards the door connecting her room to her guardian's when a loud crash followed by a scream pierced the silence of the castle. Rin covered her ears and looked to see Sesshomaru already gone.

Sesshomaru flew by Sayu's room and stopped at the door leading into the bath. He threw the door to the side and was shocked to see Sayu with her knee pressed into a servant's back and the demon's arm twisted into a painful position. The woman beneath her continued to scream until Sayu released her and dropped to the ground in front of Sesshomaru.

"Woman, explain yourself," he demanded.

Sayu visibly flinched under his harsh tone and he felt discomfort and fear balling up in the pit of his stomach. The shackles around her wrists started to glow soft blue in anticipation of her punishment. Sesshomaru calmed himself and was surprised to see the blue fade, but Sayu continued to shake at his feet.

"I said explain yourself," he repeated.

Sayu kept her face pressed into the mat on the floor, but that didn't hinder his ability to hear her.

"Master, she was trying to help me undress and I reacted. I'm not used to such lavish treatment. Please forgive this most humble servant. It will not happen again."

The beauty of her voice took him by surprise. It was deep and sultry and made his ears twitch, completely unlike the high-pitched noise of most of the women he met. He shook the thought away and grunted. "See that it doesn't," he said before closing the door behind him and walking back to check on Rin.

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Sayu remained plastered to the ground until she heard a soft moan behind her. She sat up and looked at the woman on the ground behind her. The demon sat cross-legged cradling her injured arm in her lap. Sayu sighed and crawled over to her. When she reached out to take the arm the woman growled at her and twisted away.

"I'm sorry I hurt you. It was instinct. Now let me pop your arm back in place," Sayu said as she held her hand out.

The demon gave her a questioning glare before holding her arm out. Sayu grabbed her arm and twisted it in the opposite direction, then pressed in faster than the woman could blink. She cried out and snatched it back. Sayu watched as she tested the sore limb before standing and walking to the other side of the tub.

"It will be sore for a while, but I didn't break it," she said.

The woman stood and looked away, embarrassed by how easily the human had taken her down. "You're strong for your kind. Lord Sesshomaru was right to choose you." She didn't want to admit it, but she respected the human for her skill and strength.

Sayu smirked and let her clothing drop to the ground. "I've had a lot of practice. What's your name?"

"Eri."

"I'm Sayu."

Eri watched, confused, as Sayu struggled to get into the bath. She held her hand to her back and winced before finally stepping over and into the tub. Once in, Sayu submerged herself to her chin and let the hot water do its work on her tender muscles. She sighed and tilted her head back, breathing in the delicate scent that hung in the thick air rolling off the water's surface.

Eri grabbed a handful of rose petals and threw them in. She eyed Sayu again and dropped a towel next to her. "How did you injure your back?"

Sayu watched Eri with half-lidded eyes. "I had to fight a demon named Kaito to prove myself." She quirked an eyebrow at the look of shock Eri gave her. "Is it so surprising I'm alive?" she asked.

Eri blinked several times and stammered. "Well, he is Lord Sesshomaru's most skilled fighter. There are only a handful of men who can match him, and even less who can beat him. Lord Sesshomaru is one of the latter." Eri said all this in a hushed whisper, as if even speaking about surpassing Kaito was heresy.

"He's fairly big for a tiger demon, but we were pretty evenly matched," Sayu said while picking at some dirt under her nails.

She didn't see Eri's mouth drop open at her dismissive tone. The demon regained her composure and gathered Sayu's tattered clothes. "Should I throw these away?" she asked, holding up the offending garments in disgust.

Sayu leaned forward and groaned. "No, they're all I have. I'll wash them-,"

"Nonsense, I'll tend to them now."

Sayu saw Eri disappear through another door and sighed. There are too many doors here. She thought before taking a deep breath and sinking under the water. She scrubbed her scalp and hair while under, then her skin. She hadn't had a bath in a long time, and the grime was thick. Her abused flesh was red by the time she finished, but the slimy feeling was gone and she smelled more like the flowers sticking to her skin. A white robe was folded over the side of the tub and Sayu slipped it on after she dried herself.

Eri didn't come back and Sayu decided she needed to go to sleep. When she entered her room a tray of hot food was sitting on the desk. Sayu ate carefully again, leaving some of the food on her plate. The meal she had earlier didn’t sit well and she didn't want to upset her stomach even more. Once finished, she placed the tray outside her room and crawled onto her futon. She was about to fall asleep when she heard the screen door connecting to the other room slide open. Sayu rubbed her eyes and propped herself up on her arm.

A small child peered at her through the crack and she smiled at her. "Hello," she said softly, "Are you the human I’m supposed to protect?"

The girl smiled and nodded. "I’m Rin. What's your name?" she asked in a whisper.

"I am Sayu," she said while waving the child in.

Rin giggled and glanced back at her room before crawling in and shutting the screen. She sat next to Sayu's futon and just stared at her. The older woman laughed and sat up, leaning back against the wall.

"Well, Rin, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The girl looked at her with a wistful expression and leaned forward on her tiny arms. "Sayu, do you like flowers?" she asked dreamily.