PURE FLOWER
Chapter 2
The Bargain
Pulling onto rein, Sesshoumaru ordered the double head dragon Ah-Un to speed up. Not that he minded to be late in Lord Soma's land, but he hated to be followed or stalked. Without even looking back, his nose had already picked up the foul scent of his wife's servant; apparently that bitch had ordered someone to follow him to his conference, again. He had killed the previous one for following him to his patrol, but for this time, he did not want to taint his sword with their dirty blood and so he decided to leave whoever it was behind. He tightened his grip on the rein, and the beast flew through the air with its full speed, successfully leaving the stalker behind.
THE SOUTHERN LAND
When the guards outside the palace gate saw the Western lord approaching them from the sky, one of them blew a whistle to alert the guards inside the castle to open the heavy wooden gate. When the lord's beast descended onto the ground, the guards quickly went forward to take over the rein and welcome the lord with a deep curtsy.
"Welcome to the Southern Land, Lord Sesshoumaru. Our lord is waiting for you in the main hall." One of the guards said, watching as the Western lord entered the castle with an arrogant aura around him. Lord Sesshoumaru was known as a cruel and powerful demon lord in the Southern Land, and only a fool would dare to challenge or anger him. The guards gulped when the lord turned to stare at them with his icy golden eyes.
"Yes…yes, my lord?"
"Feed and clean the dragon up, and bring him to the stable for a rest." Sesshoumaru ordered.
"Yes, my lord. We will see to that, my lord."
Sesshoumaru turned away from the guards and took in the scenery before him. Lord Soma's land was almost as grand as his own in the Western Land, covering about thousands of hectares of land and owning hundreds of village, demon and human. The only different between their lands was the scent; His land smelled of fresh grass and flowers while Lord Soma's land smelled of rotten meat and blood due to the fact that many wars, between humans and demons had occurred in this land and the lord had done nothing to prevent that.
Pushing the double door opened with his hands, Sesshoumaru stepped into the domain and nearly fainted when he smelled something thick, salty and heavy in the air; the heavy scent of human bloods and tears.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, please come inside the hall to join our lord for meal." The lord's advisor, a fox demon came forward and bowed before him before leading the way to the hall. Along the way, Sesshoumaru could see drops of blood on the floor and no one had seen the need to clear them.
He followed the advisor, knowing that he was near where Lord Soma was because he could already smelled his foul scent; a mixture of sweat and fat oil. When they came upon a huge door, Sesshoumaru could hear music from within the chamber and he felt like covering his nose when he smelled human blood and sweat in the air. The advisor opened the wooden door with a push and bowed with respect to Sesshoumaru, inviting him to enter.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes when he saw what was in the great hall. Soldiers and warriors were standing by the each side of the walls and each of them was holding a huge lance, and Sesshoumaru guessed that was for protection. But in the middle of the hall, there was a huge iron cage with dozens of human, men and women were being locked up in it. He could smell their fears and hear their whimpers when he approached them, and some of them were openly gawking at him. Fools…
"What is the meaning of this, Lord Soma?" Sesshoumaru asked, glaring at the person who was sitting comfortably on the fur covered throne a few feet away from the cage.
"Welcome to my land, my son-in-law. These pathetic humans are here…to celebrate your arrival." Soma said, not knowing that he had angered the western lord by displaying such offensive act. He had heard long ago that Sesshoumaru despised humans, so to please him, he had ordered his warriors to capture several young men and women from the nearby village. Standing up from his throne, Soma walked toward the cage and placed his claws onto the bar. He smirked when the humans cowered at the corner of the cage away from him.
"These humans are the entertainment we are going to use later, do you like to hunt, my son-in-law?" Soma asked again, his eyes glinting with evil as he laid his eyes on those young women. It had been a long time to have such a young tender prey to hunt and he could almost taste the excitement when he thought of how sweet their blood would taste on his tongue, and he wondered if there were virgins. Virgins taste better than used women…
"This Sesshoumaru despises their scents, send them away from here or I will be the one leaving here, Lord Soma." Sesshoumaru spoke, glaring at Soma with disguise in his golden eyes.
"My, you really don't mean that. Think of how fun it is to have them…"
"Fine, if you insist on keeping them here, then I'll leave." Sesshoumaru interrupted and with that, he turned around to walk toward the door.
"WAIT! I'll have them send away! Stay here, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Soma shouted with desperation, knowing that he had no choice but to follow his bidding. Well, he could always postpone the hunt, and it would be much better to have fewer opponents to share the preys. He watched as the guards came forward to carry the cage away from the hall, and gave them a sign before they left. Kill the men, but keep the women.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, please come to the high seat and let us discuss the matters." Soma said with a forced smile. He would have him killed if not for the fertile land he wanted, and not to mention what his daughter Ren would do to him if he did so. Not that he was afraid of her, but she could be a trouble maker to him if he ever crossed her. Women…
Sesshoumaru looked at the Southern Lord with his icy golden eyes, knowing very well what the sly lord was thinking. Walking past the old man, he went to the prepared seat and sit down with gracefulness. He stared at the food on the table before him; a bottle of Sake, rich juicy raw deer meat, some fruits and scented water.
"Help yourself with the dishes, Lord Sesshoumaru." Soma said, reaching for a piece of deer meat in the plate, not caring for the red blood seeping down from the corner of his mouth when he sank his teeth into the raw meat.
"…This Sesshoumaru will pass the offer, for I have no appetite." Sesshoumaru spoke, slightly disgust at the way the lord consumed the food. Not that he did not like eating raw meat and drinking sake, but he preferred to dine alone because eating in front of anyone was not his habit. It looks like time will be wasted here…
SOMEWHERE IN THE CASTLE
Ryoko, a fox demon servant kneeled behind the young woman Rin, running an ivory comb through the lady's waist length raven hair that was silky soft. She had heard of a girl being confined in the underground jail years ago, but never had she thought of the girl being so delicately beautiful. At first when Lady Rin was brought to her by the guards, she had almost grimaced at the sight of the lady who was covered by dirt and dust from head to toe, and her hair was so messy and oily that she wondered if she had had any proper bath at all. But now…
"Lady Rin, please turn around so I can paint your lips." Ryoko said and opened a small shell that contained some red paint in it. When the lady had turned around to face her, Ryoko was once again being enchanted by the lady's beauty, especially those innocent amber eyes of hers. Her black brows were trimmed into two fine curves that matched her eyes, her nose was delicate and slightly pointed, and her cheeks held the natural color of pink even though there were no powder on them, and her lips was as soft as the flower pedal as Ryoko painted them red with the tip of her finger. When that was done, Ryoko stood up from where she kneeled and gently pulled the lady up to her feet. She smiled when she saw how very beautiful Lady Rin was, compared to the first she saw her, it was as if they were two different people.
"Lady Rin, do you want to wear a juni-hito, or a kimono?" Ryoko asked the lady as she gestured her hand towards two set of cloths being laid on the futon. Ryoko herself preferred the juni-hito because it looked elegant, although it made the person who wore it felt as if they weighted a lot. She stared at the red kimono that had white flower patterns on it and wondered who would the lord purchased such simple kimono for his daughter. From the look and the touch of the material, Ryoko knew it was made of normal cloth and not fine silk. It would be an insult to Lady Rin's beauty if she wears this…
"The kimono will do just fine, Ryoko." Rin said in her soft voice and slid the white cloth covering her body to the ground, not caring about her nudity.
"But my lady, surely the juni-hito fits more to your skin. The kimono is made of rough cloth and would probably scratch…" Ryoko protested but kept her mouth shut when Rin took the task upon herself. Sighing in defeat, Ryoko took the kimono away from Rin's hands and put it on for her. Beautiful but stubborn…
"Who is the Lord of Western Land?" Rin asked and raised her arms so her servant could tie the robe around her waist to keep the kimono in place. Her father had told her that she was to be given to the Western Lord, so she could be free from the jail she was living since she was a babe. In all those years since her mother had strangely disappeared, Rin had hoped and wished that one day she could explore the green land and ran under the blue sky her mother had told her about. And make a flower crown…
"The Western Lord, Lord Sesshoumaru is the strongest demon among the four lands. I have not yet met him, but I heard he is a very attractive male as well. Your sister, Lady Ren is mated to him years ago and they have a son called Shura." Ryoko explained, knowing full well that Lady Rin was nervous about her meeting with the demon lord. She was surprised when Lord Soma announced that his youngest daughter were to be mated with Lord Sesshoumaru in order to tighten the alliance between the two lands. Perhaps he had noticed that the relationship between his elder daughter Ren and the demon lord was not going well as he planned, and now he needed another back up to mend the hole.
"…My sister…?" Rin asked and her eyes widened in surprise as if it was the first time she heard of it. I have a sister…?
"Yes, Lady Ren is the eldest daughter of Lord Soma and the rest of his children are all mated and lived in different places. You, my lady are the only daughter who is still living with the lord." Ryoko explained as she walked behind Rin to adjust the ribbon and to tie Rin's hair into a long braid down her back with a red lash.
Rin stared into space as she listened to what the servant had said. She had siblings, which trilled her so much but the fact that they were no longer in the Southern Land disappointed her as well. But if she were to become the Western Lord's second mate, she would have a chance in meeting her elder sister Ren.
She had always wanted to have someone to talk to and play with, but she was not given the chance since she was forbidden to have any contact with the 'outside' people. Although she had used to live in a small quiet cell, to hum and sing, to watch small creatures such as rats as they played with each other, and to question the guard who had never utter a sound to her all by herself, but sometimes, she would feel lonely, so lonely that she cried in the middle of the night.
A knock on the sliding door pulled Rin back to reality and she watched as Ryoko opened the door to greet the head servant. It was time.
"Lady Rin, please follow me to the great hall where your future mate are."
THE GREAT HALL
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as he listened patiently to Soma's suggestion. That old fool wanted to have the piece of land where it was located near the dead volcano, knowing that that land was the most fertile among all the lands he owned. Not that he minded to loose a piece of his possession, but that land near the volcano was where his father and mother were buried.
"That land is to be untouched, and I must reject your asking." Sesshoumaru said and thought that perhaps it was better not to give him any land at all.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, if you give me that land, your son will one day…"
"My son will inherit my place, not yours, Lord Soma."
"But it is a waste to leave such fertile land untouched, or is you hiding something in that land that don't wish anyone to…discover?" Soma spoke and almost flinched when the Western Lord turned his anger filled gaze towards him. With that, he knew then the lord did have something hidden in the land near the volcano. By damn, I'm going to find out no matter what!
"You better watch your tongue, Lord Soma. For this Sesshoumaru does not tolerate disrespect from anyone, and that includes you as well." Sesshoumaru warned with his voice filled with venom.
Soma knew that Sesshoumaru was angered, and almost cursed out loud since his plan did not work out as he had thought. Since Sesshoumaru had rejected his plea, then he would have to wait for the chance to snatch the land by force. But first, he needed to have some financial support.
"Fine, since you are so persistent in keeping that land, them I'll not push you anymore. But I'm in need of something else, and I'm very sure you Lord Sesshoumaru are able to provide that for this old man." Soma hinted and watched as the Western Lord got his meaning. Surely a few hundred pieces of gold meant nothing to the mighty Western Lord who held the largest portion of land among the four lords, but to him, it would mean a lot. With the wealth he possessed, he could buy warriors and soldiers to fight for him and to repair all the damage that woman had done to his land.
"What is that you are willing to bargain with?" Sesshoumaru asked, knowing what the Southern Lord wanted and he was willing to give it him no matter how high the price was as long as he would leave his land alone. But knowing him, Sesshoumaru was sure that Lord Soma was not a person who would give up anything so easily, and that meant he would try something to get the land from him. And I will have sentries post around that place…
"Five hundreds pieces of gold for a woman, my daughter." Soma suggested.
"I already have your daughter Ren in my land."
"I'm offering you my youngest daughter who is pure and untouched…Come in here, Rin." Soma spoke out loud enough for the servants outside the hall to hear so they would bring Rin into the hall. When he was hinting to be provided with gold, he had smelled Rin and the servants outside and that was why he was willing to ask such a high price; five hundreds pieces of gold.
Sesshoumaru watched as the door being pushed open, and he smelled something unique in the air; sweet and spice. His golden eyes fell onto a young woman who was being led by a group of servants, and when the young woman lifted her face to stare at him with her amber eyes, he almost caught his breath. She is beautiful…
Rin lifted her face to stare at the silver haired stranger who was sitting at the high seat. The man had a blue crescent moon on his forehead, two purple strips on both his cheek bones, and his eyes, his golden eyes was what captured her attention the most. Walking towards her father in small steps, never once leaving her gaze from the man, Rin wondered if he was the Western Lord whom she supposed to be mated.
"So, Lord Sesshoumaru, how do you think of what I'm bargaining?" Soma asked with a sly smirk on his face. He had saw the way Sesshoumaru looked at the girl and knew he was captured by the girl's innocent eyes liked he did when he first saw Rin's mother.
Sesshoumaru knew the girl was truly untouched because he could detect her innocent just by smelling her scent. She was clean and there was no any other scents lingered on her except for her own unique smell. A woman worth bargain for…
"Ahh, this Sesshoumaru accept your bargain. Come, woman." Sesshoumaru said and held out his right hand for the young woman called Rin, waiting patiently for her to accept him as her mate.
Rin stood in front of the man and stared at his out stretched hand. Slowly raising her right hand, she hesitatively placed her hand onto his large one and almost gasped when his hand closed over hers.
Sesshoumaru almost smirk at the look on the young woman's face when he grasped her hand, it was as if she had never been touched by males at all. He rose to his feet before her and slowly led her to the exit so he could leave this awful place and back to his Western Land. But before he left, he looked over his shoulder at Lord Soma and said.
"The thing you want will be sending to you in a day or two. Now, excuse my absence for my land needs me."
A/N: I'm sooooooooo sorry for not update in a long time and SORRY because there is no lemon in this chapter since I promised you all there will be lemon in this chapter. But I promise there definitely will have lemon in chapter 3 because Sess is eager to bed Rin.
What is the damage Rin's mother had caused?
Well, actually her mother had brought forth wars upon the land and not spending the money till the lord is broke.
Why is Rin so mature when she is being isolated for years?
Her mother was there to teach her, and let just say half of it is her instinct.
Didn't Rin's mother die when Rin was very young?
Ha-ha, that will be mentioned in later chapters. Hint, Rin's mother didn't die that early, she die when Rin was about ten years old. So she died about six years ago, and not fifteen. She was spared fifteen years ago, but a lot of people thought she was dead.
What type of demon is Rin?
Half-dog and half…something that is related to mermaid. Well, if you have watched AIR before, I'm sure you will figure that out pretty easily. I was going to use the flower MindIIBody suggested, but I think I'll put that in other story.
