This chapter introduces the main characters: Asami, Sesshoumaru, and Asami's current master and her younger twin sisters. There isn't a lot of Sesshoumaru X Asami interaction in this chapter until the very end because it is more about getting a feel for Asami's current life and some of her thoughts. Enjoy.
xoxoTiff
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Asami, dear, that was wonderful. You were beautiful, as usual." Jiro complimented. "You have admirers and potential buyers here so before you get cleaned up can we see to them?" He suggested with a warm smile.
Jiro bought me and my two younger sisters when we were much younger. He noticed my talent in entertainment immediately and brought me to his business to be trained by some of the other slaves, though he refused to think of them as such. I picked it up in no time and ever since then other men have been offering to purchase me. Jiro would only accept an offer that I am happy with though. He is quite rich and cares not about the money, simply the happiness that comes out of the deal.
He has given me and my sisters a wonderful life compared to their last and I didn't understand how anyone could ever replace it. I tried to explain this to him till no end.
"Yes, Jiro-sama, but like I always say, it is quite useless I believe." My voice was small and light, making it seem like one had to listen hard or what I said would float away before a blink of the eye.
"Yes, I know dear." He said with a shrug and led me out to the lobby where many men waited to applaud once again. I bowed slightly and smiled kindly at them.
A few men came up and gave me roses, promised me I would have the best life with them if I would only accept their proposal. I simply turned my head shy fully and murmured a 'no thank-you'.
"You were captivating tonight Asami-san, as usual." A man with long silver hair spoke in a whisper next to my ear, inducing a pleasurable shiver. It seemed to anger a few other men but I was used to this forwardness from Lord Sesshoumaru. He had seen me many times before and I always expected him to be in the very back of the room to the right whenever I was performing.
I turned the slightest bit to whisper in his ear in return. "Why thank-you Lord Sesshoumaru… I am happy to hear that I am still able to enchant you." I brushed my lips softly against his ear and sent a small wave of heat through him.
I stepped back, grinning wickedly. His face was controlled when I pulled away but I could easily see the immense hunger buried deep. He was really no different from every other man present, except for his forwardness and extremely high status. Also, the fact that he was the only one not making me offers of love and wealth and a life full of wonders. He made no offers at all.
"When shall I be coming to see your performance again Asami-san?" He questioned in a soft voice, stepping up close again, giving the other men the sense that he was privileged enough to be allowed close. Anyone else and I would have been insulted. He seemed to be daring me to step back but I stayed put and smiled charmingly up at him.
"Actually, I will be on stage tomorrow," I said matter-of-factly. I usually never did a show two nights in a row. There was always at least three days in between the performances, sometimes more.
"Oh? And what is the occasion?" He asked curiously, a small tilt of his head showed the sincerity of his question but was barely noticeable.
I thought of something to say, deciding to tease him, just a little bit. "I am being offered a life I cannot refuse tomorrow and I will be accepting," I said evenly and all of the men in the room seemed to freeze. I didn't care about their reactions however. I was carefully watching Sesshoumaru's reaction to those words. His face seemed to drain of hunger and enchantment, his face suddenly seeming completely devoid of all emotion.
"That is pleasant news for you Asami-san. Congratulations," He responded quietly, voice flat. He nodded once and turned, walking to the door.
I decided not to address him but instead looked onto the whole room for a moment. "To all, I only jest. Accept my apologies kind men. Don't you all know? No man can afford me," I spoke jokingly and turned back to Sesshoumaru who was looking over his shoulder, scowling.
"I hope to see you tomorrow." It might have seemed like I was speaking to the whole group but my bright green eyes were burning into Sesshoumaru's. He turned away and left without another word as a chuckle escaped my lips.
"There will be no more offerings tonight." Jiro told me and I nodded, bowed once more to all the men, and walked with Jiro down the hall.
"Asami dear, that wasn't very kind of you. Sesshoumaru-sama is a great fan of yours," He scolded lightly. "You never know when he could decide to offer you a life."
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "He has not given me one offer to even think on. Anyways, it's fun to tease him. He's so… what's the word? Hm, I don't want to say he's cold, though he is to a certain degree…" I thought for a moment and shrugged. "Composed… He's extremely composed. So when he shows even the slightest emotion other than lust it can be quite amusing," I explained but Jiro was just shaking his head.
"Try to be nicer to him. Someday he might just give you an offer you cannot refuse." He turned to me and gave a small kiss to my cheek. "You may get cleaned up and return home with your sisters," He instructed, walking off to go prepare the other performances.
I bowed to him as he walked away and headed back stage to a small room, a makeshift dressing room. Mai and Ryoka waited there and they both smiled widely as I came into the room. They were twins and everything about them seemed to match. Their hair was wavy, like their mother's, but the coloring was jet black, similar to their father's. I got all of my looks from my mother it seemed: a seductive, curvy figure, wondrous talents, the fiery red hair, bright, searching green eyes, and the quiet thoughtfulness that escaped her excitable sisters.
"You did very well tonight Asami!" Ryoka complimented. They both dressed in matching green kimonos and looked adorable. As soon as they hit age thirteen they would stop dressing like each other no doubt. At the moment they were twelve, seven years younger than myself.
"Yes, you were wonderful and so beautiful!" Mai also complimented enthusiastically.
"Thank you both very much." I laughed and hugged each of them gently. "We can go on home now, alright?" They both stood beside me and I held both of their hands as we left the building.
"Asami-san… You never did tell me what the occasion was for your performance tomorrow." Sesshoumaru's voice froze me in place, catching me off guard.
I recovered quickly and before I turned around. When I turned, a small smirk had worked its way onto my face. I glanced at him before turning around again to walk away. "Well, Lord Sesshoumaru, I believe you'll just have to come and see me tomorrow night to find out. I assure you, it is a special night for me." I answered quietly over my shoulder and tugged gently on my sisters' hands.
It was a thirty minute walk to get to Jiro's land. He owned a simple five acres of land and two of the acres consisted of beautiful garden areas. His home was large in my mind. It was three stories high and generously wide. A lot of the slaves he bought lived with him or at least in a close by village.
He sees the slaves he buys as souls he's helping. He will assist someone in finding their true talent or calling and they either choose to stay with him or leave and make a living on their own elsewhere. Many have stayed with him and they get a bed in a room in the house, sharing with others. Overall he makes being a slave seem heavenly.
My sisters and I are the Yukari sisters. We all shared a room together. It never seemed cramped though since we used to live in a bare room all together a quarter of the size of our new one. It was on the very top floor and even had a small balcony.
The house was surrounded by a large wall of trees with two gates. We entered the north gate and I smiled, breathing in the scent of lavender flowers. When we got to the front door we slid our sandals off and made our way to the stairs.
"Girls it's late now so I'm going to get you both to sleep and then go downstairs and help out with chores," I said to them as we arrived at our room. There was one small chest for clothes and such, which was fine for us since we didn't have much, and then one bed that the twins shared. I unrolled a mat on the floor and slept there all the time.
"But, we want to stay up later," Ryoka complained and Mai nodded in agreement.
"Oh well," I said simply with a smile and motioned for them to get dressed in their sleeping yakutas. They scowled but went and changed, then jumped in the bed. I laughed but they refused to crack a smile, hoping I would cave in and let them stay up.
I tucked each of them in and pecked them on the forehead. "Goodnight sisters. I love you both and I will see you tomorrow morning," I whispered and left the room, blowing the candles out before exiting.
After a few moments of listening to them, their breathing was already evening out for sleep. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen where a few of the other girls were cleaning up. "Hello." I nodded to a couple of the girls and grabbed some dishes to start washing.
"So how did your performance go tonight Asami?" One of the girls, Akira, asked with a smile. "I see you haven't changed yet." She nodded at the outfit and I shrugged.
"The performance went well. I wanted to help out before I changed because I know as soon as I am comfortable I am going to fall dead asleep," I explained, placing the dishes on the counter to be dried by Chie.
One of the other girls spoke up now, Rika. She was an envious woman with no morals and a temper to match the Gods. "I really wanted to come tonight, not to see you or anything, but to see Lord Sesshoumaru. Oh, he is so dreamy. Gosh." She spoke admiringly and a couple of the girls scoffed in disgust.
"He only goes there to see the Seductress. He wouldn't want to be bothered with the likes of a whore like you," Akira pointed out blatantly. The Seductress was the girls' nickname for me, and I always blushed shyly at the nickname. I laughed however at her comment.
"If I had been there I would have took his mind off of her," Rika responded sourly.
"Yeah, he would have thought 'what the hell does this wench want, she's distracting me from the enchanting performance' and then he would have waved you off like the bug you are." Chie spoke up.
She hated Rika more than anyone else. No one had known, but Rika had been forcing all of her chores onto Chie for the longest time and had been absolutely horrible to her. Then, when everyone found out, they made Rika an outcast and someone was always there for Chie. Eventually she learned to stick up for herself.
"Chie! That was completely unnecessary." Rika gasped in astonishment and she was clearly taken aback.
"The truth is never unnecessary." One of the girls muttered and some laughed. Rika just stormed off, clearly angry.
For a while longer I helped out with chores around the home and then went to the onsen to get cleaned up. I was tired so I made it quick and got dressed in a simple white sleeping yakuta. I used my sorcery to dry my hair and it came out dry and silky smooth. I brushed it all and then tied it up so it wouldn't get tangled throughout the night.
As soon as I was finished getting ready for bed I headed upstairs and tiptoed quietly into the room so as not to wake the sleeping twins. As soon as I lay down I was already drifting into the sleeping world…
The next morning I woke to the overwhelming smell of lavender flowers, my absolute favorite. The twins were sitting on the bed looking down at me. As soon as I sat up they pushed two bouquets of flowers towards me and then two small boxes.
"Happy 20th birthday Asami!" They said in unison.
I smiled softly, gently. "Girls, this wasn't necessary…" I said, looking at the boxes with such happiness. They were never able to afford gifts. They usually put together small bouquets of random flowers and that was always more than enough.
"We had to. Now open up, open up!" Ryoka demanded and Mai nodded enthusiastically.
I set the flowers down carefully and crossed my legs carefully. "Which one should I open first?" I asked, weighing each one and lightly shaking the boxes. They laughed and pointed to the one wrapped in blue cloth.
I set the red one down and carefully opened the present. I pulled out a simple but elegant silver chain and she almost felt like crying. "This is beautiful girls."
"Now the other one!" Mai said urgently. They both had the widest of smiles. It was obvious they were excited to be giving a present.
I set the chain down on the first box and picked up the second small box. I opened it slowly which seemed to kill the two girls. Once it was opened I picked up a small silver charm. It was in the shape of a sun and it was very shiny. It represented fire, my specialty.
"Oh girls, this is wonderful!" I enthused happily and got up immediately to hug them both tightly.
I sat back down afterwards and carefully put the charm onto the chain and the chain around my neck. It hung low and I felt a few tears escaping down my cheeks. "Thank you both," I whispered softly and they laughed at my great emotions, tackling me with hugs.
Nightfall came soon that day it seemed and right before dusk my sisters and I walked to Jiro's business, where I would be putting on a special performance for my birthday. When we arrived at the large two story building I saw a small line by the door. I nodded at the guard manning the door and passed by everyone, going to my small dressing room to get ready.
"Why don't you both greet Jiro-sama while I dress?" I suggested and they nodded, giggling together as they left the room. I could already tell they were going to be playing tag. I told them again and again to try and behave but they never could listen very well.
I locked the door and sighed, feeling nervous for no reason in particular. I pulled my hair up messily and slid in various clips to keep it held up and out of the way while I got ready. I then undressed and began rubbing my body down with an oily lotion that made me seem to glow on stage, especially with the candles alit so close to me. It forced the light to dance across my skin in a manner of mystique. When finished, I picked up a thin kimono from the corner.
It was my best kimono that I had received from Jiro after my first performance ever. Every year on my birthday I wore it no matter what. It was long with a slit up each side that reached my hips but it could also be laced up so the slits wouldn't reveal anything in case I wanted to go out in public wearing it.
It had a low cleavage line that accentuated my breasts, the part of the body that would capture men's attention most of course. The chain and charm the twins had given me for my birthday worked perfectly with the outfit it seemed, laying against my bosom, visible to all.
I sat down in a small chair in front of a mirror as I carefully covered my face in the oily lotion. I took another lotion that had been dyed green and put dabs of it over my eyelids, giving them a deeper feeling, or at the least, a more enchanting side effect. Finally I took down my hair and brushed it softly, smiling to myself.
When everything was finished and perfect a sigh passed my lips and I closed my eyes and meditated as always before any performance. I needed to keep focused and concentrated so I could remember when the right moment was to do certain things, but I also had to stay at peace with myself, not get worked up.
Finally I was ready and I left the dressing room, walking to the back stage area. No one was on the stage at present and various candles were lit on the tables for guests. I peeked out and looked at each table. To my immense surprise, Sesshoumaru's table was unoccupied. I had a fleeting moment to wonder if I had indeed upset him yesterday but shrugged it off. There was no time to worry about such inconsequential matters.
It didn't matter anyways. Sesshoumaru might very well not have enjoyed the performance. Certainly some of the men present would not enjoy the performance as much as my usual ones. On my birthday I made a point to do a more traditional and conservative dance. Many admirers though still take pleasure in it as much as any other of the more seductive performances.
"Asami-san, good luck tonight!" One of the other dancers for Jiro-sama whispered as she passed by, sweating from her earlier performance.
"Thanks Kari-san," I replied quietly and breathed in deeply. Jiro walked around the corner at that moment and smiled encouragingly, motioning that I could begin whenever I was ready. I glanced behind me where a man was setting up on the piano, out of the audience's site and gave him thumbs up. He began playing only a moment after and I glanced to Jiro one more time.
"Good luck darling. Make this one count," He said and walked away, an odd smile on his face. I was confused; he said it like I wouldn't ever make a performance here again. And he had that 'I know something you do not' smile on his face. I was going to go after him but I didn't have nearly enough time.
I composed myself and flicked my hand in front of me gently. At once, all the candles in the room extinguished. Silently I walked on stage, letting the gentle piano music wrap around my mind, soul, and body. There was a line of candles on the very edge of the stage and slowly each one ignited.
"Ladies and gentleman, I welcome you warmly and thank you all for coming. Tonight is my birthday, a special day for me. I will be performing a more traditional dance tonight but I am positive you shall enjoy it. Thank you again." I spoke almost in a whisper but everyone nodded so I knew they could hear.
After the small speech I began my dance, hands twirling slowly through the air with precision. It was only a matter of time before I began using my fire sorcery to bring more magic to the dance. It seemed like forever that I was up there and eventually the piano music slowed and began to fade away. The flames vanished and it was dark again.
I stepped off of the stage and thanked the piano player. I then found Jiro-sama and was surprised to see Sesshoumaru standing with him, chatting.
Jiro gave me a fatherly hug and complimented me on the performance. Sesshoumaru didn't hug me but he did offer a standard compliment.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, how can you praise my performance when you were not present to see it?" I asked softly, smiling at him and waiting patiently for his explanation.
His lips formed a small, secretive smirk. "I was a little late. I came in after the candles were out in the back, so you must not have noticed my entrance, but I assure you, I was there."
"He was only late because we began talking and lost track of the time," Jiro offered as an excuse and glanced at the men that were gathering. Many came up to give me flowers for my birthday and I bowed slightly and thanked them.
Finally when I had been given many flowers Jiro announced to them all that there would be no more offerings to me. Ever. This just aroused my earlier curiosity and I looked at him cautiously.
"So you have finally seen that no one can offer me a better life than you have so graciously provided Jiro-sama?" I inquired and took a side glance to Sesshoumaru, who hadn't left with all the other disappointed men.
He grinned at me as Jiro continued. "Nonsense. Quite the opposite I assure you. I have merely heard Sesshoumaru's offer. If you don't take it you are quite foolish." He nodded at Sesshoumaru and Asami to follow him back to his small study.
"Excuse me? Lord Sesshoumaru has never once made any offer," I contradicted and glared at no one in particular. Obviously things had been going on behind my back.
"I will be tonight. That is what Jiro and I were discussing earlier." Sesshoumaru spoke quietly as he sat down and I had nothing to do but nod slightly and sit down.
Jiro leaned back and smiled brightly at Asami. "His offer is as follows. You and your younger sisters will be taken care of for the rest of your life. They will have their own bedroom, and you will have your own. The twins would be taught and could obtain a fine education. You, yourself, would not have to perform any chores, but the twins would have to help out around the grounds. Your sisters could also go out and buy new kimonos and other small things as well. And of course, you would be provided a gorgeous wardrobe." Jiro stopped and I was frozen speechless.
Sesshoumaru could tell and chuckled slightly. Jiro got up at that moment and patted me on the shoulder lightly. "I'll leave you both to chat."
As soon as he left Sesshoumaru turned his head slightly to face me, one eyebrow perfectly arched. "Well?"
"Why?" I asked immediately, not being able to help but wonder if I was really worth all of that.
He shrugged, obviously refusing to answer the question.
"You are serious Lord? You swear you are not jesting with me?" I asked in a whisper and he nodded.
"Quite serious." He replied, grinning.
"How could I say no to an offer like that…?" I murmured to myself.
"You couldn't. Jiro told me so."
"I see. Well then, I have a few questions and requests." I was at last able to compose myself.
"Requests? I left something out in my offer?" He sounded shocked but of course his face was controlled easily.
"Mai and Ryoka are my two younger sisters. Would they be able to leave whenever they wanted?" I asked, turning my green eyes towards him.
He seemed to think about that for a moment and nodded. "It isn't them I am buying. You would not be able to go with them though."
"Yes, I understand that," I replied with a slight shrug. "Can they also be trained in self-defense with and without weaponry?" I asked, knowing that danger was everywhere and even though they were full dog demon, there would always be stronger ones.
He presented me with a small half-smile. "I would say I was surprised at the request, but I suppose I am not. I'll have one of my soldiers teach them." He allowed. "I'll even have well-forged weapons given to them." He added on with a small glint of humor in his eyes.
"Why are you offering so much Lord Sesshoumaru?" I asked, unable to figure it out.
"Jiro told me to always go an extra mile with you. If you get everything you want and more, everything that is doable and reasonable that is, that you would not be able to say no." He explained and got up from his chair, holding his hand out. "So?" He prompted.
I couldn't possibly refuse an offer as lucrative as this. It was perfect and flawless. I got up, bringing my hand up but not yet placing it in his.
"What is Jiro-sama getting out of this?" I questioned, having forgot about him in my questioning.
"He is receiving a great deal of money," He responded, appearing to be quite patient, though I knew he wasn't the patient man he was pretending to be.
I still hesitated though for some reason, continuing to think it over in my mind.
"You understand that you will be completely mine. You will have to do whatever I wish you to do." He recapped the overall idea of the deal, and I could see the desire just under the surface of his eyes.
"Yes. I understand." I answered eventually and placed my hand in his, bowing. "Thank you for this wonderful offer Sesshoumaru-sama."
"You are quite welcome." He grinned and leaned down, pressing a kiss to my lips. It had taken me off guard and before I could even think about returning the intense but chaste kiss he stood up straight and led me out of the study.
Things would surely be different, but my sisters' would have a great life and a bright and hopeful future to look forward to. I would do anything for that. Pleasing Lord Sesshoumaru and obeying him couldn't be that hard.
