Amaranth
By Aycelcus
Rating: R (for violence and sexual situations in later chapters)
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha, its characters or likenesses. I am borrowing them for just a little while. Also, I do not own the Landers and any related characters. They belong to my best friend. I do own Cillara, her likeness and all things that pertain to her character. AKA.: Don't own, don't sue.
Author's Note: … Well, I do believe we are primed for the fight of the century here at the crux of Chapter Five, ne? All the elements are there: Fluffy is pissed extreme, Bird-girl is getting back to her snappy snazzy self, and daylight is nigh and high and awfully frelling bright. And only on the second day of meeting, too! Very nice.
Chapter Five: Words Will Fall
He found her in the solar as she had said, with an uneaten bowl of rice in her hand. She was sitting off to the side, the morning sun slanting across her face and lighting her hair afire. She did not move when he stalked in, claws open and anger palpable. She did not even seem to notice him as he stood above her, ready to strike at the source of his agitation. But seconds ticked by, and despite the hot, urgent need to rend the woman into unrecognizable shreds for daring to defy him, he did nothing. He just stood poised over her, shaking in his fury.
A breaking point was reached, and with a growl of frustration he turned and threw a nearby chair across the solar. It shattered upon impact with the far wall.
"It is the amaranth." Her voice broke through the sudden silence and he turned back to her. This time he managed to grab her by the shoulder and force her upwards, until she was standing small in front of him, her face mere inches from his armored chest. She looked up at him, her eyes sharp.
"What have you done to me, woman?" He snarled at her. "What spell is this?"
Her eyes flickered slightly. "I have done nothing. It is the amaranth. It… protects me."
He leaned closer, so close that his breath was on her face. "Explain!"
"I can't!" She protested. "I did not make the spell which held me! I am no goddess to be so strong!" And she tried then to twist away from his eyes and his grasp. His grip tightened, and she hissed in pain.
"Explain!"
"I can't! Let me go, you bastard! I did not want to be awakened any more than you wanted to awaken me!"
"Explain!"
Suddenly there was a spill of syllables, bright and musical; a fall of words in a language that he could not recognize. Then she brought her gaze back to his eyes. Her face was fevered. "They are all dead!" She snarled back at him. "Everyone I ever knew! And I was not allowed to go with them! I have no more control over this than you. Now let go of me, or I will not hesitate to burn holes into that pretty armor you wear!" Her voice had gone deadly soft, then, and Sesshoumaru recognized the threat as real. His fingers relaxed, and she wormed out of his grasp.
"You wish for death." He spoke then. It was not a question.
"I cannot die." She answered back. "A gift that has imprisoned me. A million years will go by and I will still be here, a shrine to something long destroyed."
"But you have magic. I can smell it in your blood, strong like a miko's blood."
She was not looking at him then, but down at a faded scar that traced its way across her slim forearm. "…I am weak now. My slumber has taken my strength from me. But even at full strength I am bound by my immortality. I am a scar that will never fade."
He did not know what possessed him next. Perhaps it was a need to distract the bird-child from such a sad fate.
"You are a rude scar."
Her eyebrow arched. "Me?" She said incredulously. "I'm rude? This said from a man who licked my neck before introducing himself?"
The mention of his actions unnerved him a little. "That was… unintentional."
"You must get slapped a lot on your dates, I imagine."
"Dates?"
"Never bloody mind." The she raked a hand through her feathered hair. A pin fell to the floor. She started to pick it up, but Sesshoumaru's fingers found it first.
"Ah, damn." She cursed. "I don't know how many of those things were put in my hair yesterday. They just keep appearing. It's a wonder I don't have a pincushion for a head by now—"
Her voice died in her throat as Sesshoumaru found his fingers pulling a lock of her hair from her face. Electricity seemed to spark in their tips as he deftly pinned the soft filaments out of her eyes. Her golden gaze regarded him in confusion. He spoke then only to break the tension.
"We have guests coming soon. I would ask that you be presentable and conduct yourself with poise and tact. If you can manage to behave, then you are welcome back at the table."
"Still bribing me with food, I see." She commented archly.
"I am not bribing you. As I recall, you know where the kitchen is."
She grinned cockily. Then the corners of her mouth turned down and she cleared her throat.
"… You have to realize, Sesshoumaru, that I am not a great and mannered Lady. I normally don't do servants and I hate formality. You seem to want to call a truce, and I support that idea. I am sure that your daughter thinks that you have killed me by now, and murder tends to make a house uneasy. But I will probably screw up something. I will put my foot in my mouth somehow. It's pretty much a daily thing for me anyways. All I ask this: I will be as lady-like as possible if you are as patient and understanding as possible. I won't be submissive, but I'll try to be respectful. Deal?"
His fingers were still buried in her hair, and it was hard for him to think. He was finding it as difficult to stay angry with Cillara as it was easy for him to become angry with her in the first place. She seemed to entice extremes out of everything that surrounded her. So he gently pulled away, claws softy brushing her cheek as he turned.
"We have an arrangement, then. Come, breakfast is still waiting."
Cillara saw Rin's surprise when she followed Sesshoumaru back into the dining room. She smiled a little at her in reassurance, and sat quietly while the castle servants served her as if nothing had happened.
She thought while she ate.
She thought about her situation, she thought about her grief, but mostly she thought about her enigmatic host. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, tall and regal. His cool mask was in place, and he was beautiful.
She was no young virgin to be unaware of how he affected her. She had felt the sparks where he had touched her. She also knew that he was most certainly being manipulated by the amaranth in her favor. He had admitted as much that his behavior was not normal. That made her very disinclined to ever act on the feelings that made her knees weak.
Damnit, she thought. I'm too bloody old for this. It is always the arrogant ones. And they all have a tendency to die on me. She forced herself to eat what was put in front of her, and tried not to think any more.
Early afternoon saw them all in the gardens. Cillara and Rin were walking and talking while Sesshoumaru stood off to the side. Jaken had come and gone, busily preparing for the visitors that Cillara did not know the identity of.
"So, Rin, your father tells me that there are people coming to visit." Cillara ventured as they wandered through the flowers and trees."
Rin giggled then. "Sesshoumaru-sama isn't me father. He takes care of me." Then she leaned in conspiratorially. "He doesn't like people to know he's a softie." She whispered. "So don't say anything."
"I promise. My lips are sealed." Cillara smiled.
"It's time for Inu Yasha and Kagome to come, that's who's visiting. They'll be bringing Shippou an' the twins, too!" Rin glowed with anticipation.
"Inu Yasha?" Cillara was perplexed.
"Yeah. Sesshoumaru-sama's little brother. They don't really like each other, but they get along cuz Kagome wants it."
"And Kagome is?" Cillara prompted.
"Kagome is Inu Yasha's mate. She's a powerful miko. And," Rin leaned in again. "She's from the future!"
Really, Cillara thought then. So that's where the ramen came from. Curious.
"Rin." Sesshoumaru's voice cut through the whispered conversation. Rin had the grace to look ashamed, but when he turned away she flashed a smile to Cillara, who returned it by sticking out her tongue at the youkai lord's retreating back.
The wind was gentle as it ruffled her feathers, and Cillara stretched her wings out behind her. Physically she was not strong enough to leap into the air and fly, so she just stood there a moment, letting little currents and eddies flow through her primaries. Sesshoumaru turned back at that moment to call her and Rin back to him, for he had scented his brother and it was time to go be social (as much as he detested it. The things he did for Rin…) But he was caught and captured by the sight before him. Rin had paused as well, and for a long moment they both just marveled at the vision before them.
The moment was too long, for suddenly behind them came an acerbic voice.
"Feh, brother. Where did you get her? Did you let Tensaiga resurrect another stray?"
The voice startled Cillara, who dropped her wings with an expression like she had been caught with her hand in a cookie jar. Then she heard a strong female voice ring out a single command.
"Oswari!"
THUD.
"That was rude, Inu Yasha!"
Cillara turned to see a petite woman stride over to her. In the background a silver-haired man was picking himself up off the ground. A young boy with a foxtail was poking him while two little white-haired toddlers giggled.
The woman held out a hand in greeting. "Hi, I'm Kagome. I apologize for Inu Yasha's smart mouth. I'm still working on that." Cillara reached out to shake Kagome's hand as she tried to take the sight of her in. Kagome wore priestess robes like the miko that Rin had said she was, but strapped on to her back was a battered yellow pack that was zippered shut. This was the woman from the future. At her neck was a small bead, and it pulsed to Cillara's mage-sight like a miniature sun.
"My name is Cillara." She said, and the visit with Sesshoumaru's extended family began in earnest.
A.N.: Okay, so it wasn't really a fight. Not a crazy one. But the question here is: How much of what Sesshoumaru feels is the amaranth? Spells are tricky things, you see, and she only said that it protected her. I suppose we will only know once the days pass and the amaranth begins to fade. Besides, this is a romance. I'm feeling romantic. Come here and gimme a smooch.
Also: You may have noticed, or you may have not. There hasn't really been any interaction b/w Cillara and Jaken here. You'd think that he'd have already said something mean and nasty to her. Lets just say he's been busy, ne? It's true. Besides, Cillara would probably squash him beyond all recognition. Or turn him into a pincushion. Maybe she still will. All those who want to see C turn Toadie into a pincushion raise your hands!