Sesshoumaru gave a small, silent sigh as he handed the check to Naraku. Never had he paid so much for something that he didn't even really want. He had only bought the girl to spite his pathetic half-brother. Sometimes, the things he did to annoy his younger sibling amazed even himself.
"Now, here is all her paperwork," Naraku said happily, pocketing the check. He hadn't been expecting the girl to sell for so much. Only new, unused slaves usually went for over seven-thousand, and the girl had gone for ten-thousand. "This paper here lists what you need to know about her: things she's allergic to, past training... important matters like that." He pulled out a stack of papers. "These are the things that you need to sign to fully own her." He took one last, small piece of old, crinkled paper out of his pocket. "This piece of paper holds the words I need to say to transfer her ownership to you."
The dog demon didn't like the hanyou's tone, and he certainly didn't like the idea of the spell. He was planning on setting the girl free as soon as Inuyasha got over his little obsession with her, and that included removing the spell.
Grinning from ear to ear, Naraku whispered a few words in the girl's ear, most of which were strange and foreign. The only word Sesshoumaru recognized was his own name. The other words, he guessed, were in an ancient demon language. How the dark hanyou had learned the language was beyond him, but then again, he didn't particulary care.
The girl instantly fell to her knees in pain. She wrapped her arms around her stomach as youkai magic rippled over her body in giant waves. She felt like she was being cut up on the inside with thousands upon thousands of sharp knives as the spell rearranged itself. With a great effort, she looked up at the two men. 'Damn you, Naraku,' she thought darkly, forcing herself to stand back up, making sure her anger did not show in the slightest.
She was pleased that she no longer wanted to obey Naraku and thrilled that she had a different master (anyone was better than Naraku), but she hated the process of changing masters. It always hurt, and that had been the second time the dark-haired hanyou had put her through that pain.
The other male, though, she found looking down at her with something like pity in his golden eyes. His skin was about as pale as hers, and he had the face markings of a youkai lord: two red strips on each cheek and a midnight blue crescent moon in the middle of his forehead. Silvery-white hair fell to almost his knees, and he had claws instead of fingernails, elven-like ears instead of round, human-like ears. A sword hung at his side. Dressed in an old-fashioned kimono-style shirt and nice black pants, he was a mixture of the past and present. He was over six feet tall and elegant with his long, white, fluffy tail draped over one shoulder.
"She's now yours, and don't worry about permanently hurting her. She's a miko, after all, and she has been taught how to heal herself," Naraku assured the inu youkai beside him. "And another thing... she isn't able to remove the spell, as it is immune to her miko magic." He chuckled, an evil sound that sounded hollow."I'm sure that eased your mind a bit."
"You have no idea," Sesshoumaru muttered sarcastically as he signed the last form. It hadn't eased his mind. In fact, it had done the exact opposite. How was he suppose to free the girl if he couldn't undo the stupid spell? Oh well. He would just have to leave it up to Shippou. The little fox demon was incredibly good at finding elusive bits of information.
"Well, now that you've signed everything, you're free to take the girl. Whenever you're tired of her, come to me, and I'll give you the paperwork you'll need to sell her," Naraku said, smirking.
"Thank you. Now, I must be going," the dog demon said coldly, his face one of cool indiference. He turned to the slave girl, his tone nicer than the one he had used with Naraku. "Follow me."
"Yes, milord," she replied sweetly, happily doing exactly as she was told. She walked briskly to keep up with her new master, but at the same time she moved as if she was world-weary. Her blue-gray eyes were dull, almost lifeless, and her face was expressionless, as if nothing could effect her at all.
'I must do something about her attitude before I set her free,' Sesshoumaru thought to himself unhappily. He was not looking forward to dealing with the slave. Though, he would put up with her just to annoy his brother. The only reason he wanted to set her free was to rob the slave trade of one more slave. 'This is my good deed for the decade. I help the girl regain herself and then I free her. No problem. That should take no more than a month of my precious time.'
Sesshoumaru could sense the girl following him as well as smell her. Her scent was pleasant, but it was very different from what Kikyou's scent had been. There was a slight resemblance... nothing more. Only Inuyasha, with his grief-ridden mind, would probably even consider that the two girls smelled the same.
He led the girl to his car, a silver dodge viper, and gestured for her to get in. As before, she obeyed after saying, "Yes, milord."
While he drove, he decided to get some information from the girl that hadn't been on the papers. Naraku had not included the girl's name, birthday, origin, or age. All of that was necessary information; at least, to the dog demon it was.
"What should I call you?" he asked the girl next to him, not taking his eyes off of the road. He wasn't about to call her 'slave' or 'girl'.
"Whatever you wish, milord," she replied softly in her beautiful voice. It was the kind of voice that would sooth tempers in even the most tense of situations or arouse a man in the right situation.
He sighed at her response. "What have your other masters called you?" He had decided to try a different question, hoping to get an actual answer.
"Trista, Aphrodite, Nadine, Isis, Rowena, Athena, Gaea-"
Sesshoumaru cut her off, quickly realizing that he was getting no where with her. Unfortunately, asking politely was leaving him with unwanted responses. He would just have to command an answer from her. "Tell me your full, true name," he ordered.
"Kagome Higurashi, milord," the black-haired girl answered, the name sounding strange on her own tongue. She hadn't said it out loud in years. All of her other masters had given her a pet name, not caring who she really was at all. She had never cared about that fact at the time, but it suddenly began to bother her; however, she didn't know why.
"Kagome, how old are you?" Sesshoumaru inquired. He was guessing that she was about seventeen, but he just wanted to make sure.
"Nineteen, milord." Kagome was watching her new master carefully, making sure to keep her face blank. 'Why does he ask me questions? It's not like he cares. They've never cared before. All my other masters have just used me, abused me, and then sold me. He won't be any different.'
She had lost all hope many years ago that she would ever get a kind master, and she didn't dare start hoping again just because her new master was curious. Hope was a deadly emotion that had no place in the life of a slave. It only lead to pain and torture, as she had learned from Naraku and many of her masters.
'Nineteen... I hate being wrong.' "How long have you been a slave?" The question was important, although it was personal. Sesshoumaru just hoped that the girl wouldn't break down crying if the question brought up painful memories.
"Since I was ten, milord," she replied, her voice still holding no emotion, much to the youkai's surprise. Her tears had permanently dried long ago. The subject of her becoming a slave hadn't bothered her in ages. In fact, nothing had really bothered her in years. She felt only two real emotions: anger -which she always kept hidden- and boredom. Being a slave for nine years seemed to have that effect on people, especially on abused slaves, and any happiness she felt when obeying orders was magically induced.
Sesshoumaru thought on that for a bit. She had been a slave for a long time, not as long as some other slaves, but a long time nonetheless. He could only guess what her old masters had put her through... which brought a new question to his mind.
"How many masters have you had?" the inu youkai asked, looking over at her when he stopped at a red light. All he saw was an emotionless girl watching him with blank, blue-gray eyes.
Kagome thought for a few moments, slowing adding them up. "Thirty-six, milord."
'Thirty-six!' his mind shouted. 'That's an average of four masters a year. I've never heard of a slave going through so many masters that quickly.' The dog demon frowned. "Why have you gone through so many?"
"They tire of me quickly, milord. Most claim that they bore of me because I have no spirit, milord," she told him, secretly curious as to why he had asked that question. Why would anyone care? He would just get rid of her soon enough anyway, so why should it matter if she had gone through so many masters? "I don't know why my lack of spirit would bother them. I obeyed all their orders."
He sighed softly. 'Whoever broke her did a too-damn-good job of it,' he thought sourly. 'Slaves are rarely ever as meek as this one. She's so bad that she hides all of her emotions so deep that even I can't sense them. All I've got to say is that this had all better be worth spiting the whelp and the slave industry.'
Sesshoumaru decided to try one last question. It was a nonsense one that had absolutely no importance... except to get the girl to voice her opinion. Getting her to admit that she had an opinion would be her first step towards becoming whatever her old self was. "Kagome, what's your favorite color?"
"My favorite color is suppose to be whatever yours is, milord," Kagome responded in her normal, beautiful voice.
He groaned silently. "That was not the answer I wanted," he told her mildly.
"Forgive me, milord. What answer do you desire of me?" She wanted to please him, really she did. Well, the spell was what wanted to please him, but it was the same thing to the miko.
'Oh, yes. The wonderful training that broke her is dictating her answers. How could I forget that this would happen?' "I want you to honestly tell me what your favorite color is," Sesshoumaru replied calmly then waited patiently for an answer.
A quick glance at the girl told him that she was fighting an inner battle. Part of her wanted to obey the order he had given her while the other part told her to stick to her training. The former part won.
"Green, milord," she finally answered.
He smiled slightly at his small victory. So the girl liked green. Good. He would have to purchase her some green clothes then. Considering her appearance, she would look good in the right shades. He would have to buy her some blue clothes as well. 'Yes, she needs some new clothes. There is no way I am going to allow her to walk around in that absurd genie outfit. Besides, once she starts eating regularly again, her form will fill out and those clothes will cease to fit.'
"What is your favorite food?" The last question had been answered, so he had decided to ask another.
"Whatever yo-" Kagome shut her mouth when Sesshoumaru gave her a meaningful look. It was a you-know-what-I-meant-and-that's-not-it look. She took a breath and tried again, very much wanting to please him. "Oden, milord."
Hmmm... he did have some oden at home. He had half a mind to make her some once they arrived there. It wouldn't take long to make, that was for sure. For all he knew, the oden would help her regress back to normal and forget her training. 'Not very likely,' he thought to himself with a silent snort. 'But I've certainly made a start.'
~*~
Once Sesshoumaru arrived back to his mansion, he led Kagome to the dining room and ordered her to stay there until he came back with food. All he got in response was her customary answer. Truthfully, he had been hoping that she would question the order as she had the ability to cook for herself. Unfortunately, she hadn't done so.
'She has made progress though. I am a patient demon,' he thought as he prepared the oden. 'I can easily wait for her to heal. She will not be able to outlast my patience.' He was very sure of himself. After all, he was a dog demon and a royal one at that. His father had been a taiyoukai, a great demon, and lord of the western lands. He was a lord as well, just not like his father had been. Instead, he was a lord of business. He owned a large, thriving corporation that dealt in the most advanced technology. It was his pride and joy.
The timer suddenly binged, announcing that the oden was done. Picking up the large bowl of oden with one covered hand and gathering up some bowls and forks with the other, he went back into the dining room.
As Sesshoumaru set the oden down on the mahogany table in front of Kagome, he watched her for any reaction. He didn't see all that much, but her eyes did briefly flash with some emotion before becoming dull once again. That little display was enough for him to make a mental note to buy more oden. Any reaction was better than none.
With a clawed hand, he gave the slave a bowl and spoon, setting his own bowl and eating utensil in front of him. "Help yourself," Sesshoumaru told her, expecting her to take as much as she could and begin shoveling the food in as fast as possible, much like his half-brother had done when he had been younger.
Instead, Kagome gave him a confused look. "Forgive me, milord, but I do not understand your order." He couldn't possibly want her to eat while she sat next to him. Surely he would put her in a closet with some food and leave her there until he had need of her. That was what the others had always done.
Using only one hand, he rubbed one of his temples gently with his first two fingers. "I would like you to take as much of the oden as you think you'll eat and put it in your bowl. Then I want you to eat until you are full. If you finish off what you took and are still hungry, have another helping." He felt like he was explaining things to a child. Though, he knew a child named Rin who was only five, and even she did not question him like Kagome was doing.
Kagome frowned, still unsure of what he was telling her. 'He wants me to eat until I'm no longer hungry? Doesn't he know that slaves are suppose to get fed only enough to keep them alive?'
After a few moments, the spell caught up with her. She did what Sesshoumaru told her to do, taking a very modest amount of oden, even though her stomach screamed at her to take much more. Slowly and neatly, she began to eat, taking small bites, a feeling of happiness rolling through her since she had obeyed him.
Sesshoumaru was surprised by her table manners. He had expected them to be terrible, yet her manners were better than many of his business associates. If he ever had company while she was at his house, he felt assured that she would not embarrass him. If anything, she probably would be an asset to him.
While she ate, Kagome let her mind process everything that had happened. First, she had been bought. Then, the guy had asked her questions... questions that he had no real reason to want an answer to. After that, the guy fed her, telling her to eat as much as she wanted.
'Why did he buy me? He seems to show no interest in my body. He's treating me like I'm a free person. This doesn't make any sense... HE doesn't make any sense. He must have some reason for buying me. There's no way he would have spent that much money if there hadn't been a reason.'
She wanted to ask her new master just what his reasons were, but she didn't dare inquire. She was forbidden to ask him useless questions. It had been one of the first lessons that her masters had literally beaten into her. It was a lesson that she would never, ever forget.
Sesshoumaru was thinking as he ate as well. He had an important job and work to do, so he couldn't be with her all day. Judging by what the girl had done so far, he guessed that she wouldn't do anything unless she was ordered to. That meant that she wouldn't eat, bathe, or sleep unless he told her to do so. Also, he didn't have servants who could help take care of her; he didn't like them walking around his house. He enjoyed his privacy much more than not having to do any housework.
'I wonder what she's like when no one's around...' He mentally shook his head to clear his thoughts. He wasn't supposed to care about that. All he was supposed to do was help her return to her normal self, keep her away from Inuyasha until the inu hanyou didn't want her anymore, and then set her free. Simple. Easy. At least, that was what he thought.
Kagome paused for a moment, then put more oden in her empty bowl. She did that three more times until she was full. The entire time, she kept quiet just like her master did. She could tell he was thinking, even that he was thinking about her. Naraku had hired someone to train her in some of her miko powers. Because she was partially trained, she knew how to sense emotions and some basic thoughts.
Ever since she had met her new master, she had mostly been getting an uninterested feeling off of him. There were sparks of other feelings, but nothing major. No anger, no displeasure, no happiness, no desire... just a feeling that he really didn't care.
Coming out of his thoughts, Sesshoumaru noticed that Kagome had stopped eating. She was watching him with her dull eyes, and he found that a little disquieting.
"Kagome, if you are done eating, I'll show you to your room," he said, standing up. He needed to do something with the girl, and letting her stare at him wasn't it.
"Yes, milord," she replied, copying his actions.
"Now then," he began as he walked down a hallway. She followed him wordlessly. "I'm going to establish some ground rules. You are to bathe or shower every day. While I am at work, you are to eat both breakfast and lunch. There is plenty of food in the kitchen. You are to help yourself to whatever you can find. At night, you are to sleep."
"Yes, milord."
"In the evenings, you will eat supper with me," he added. "Tomorrow, when I get home from work, we are going to go shopping and get you some decent clothes."
"Yes, milord," Kagome responded as she had been taught, feeling confused again. 'He wants to get me different clothes? Doesn't he like the clothes I am wearing? My last few masters loved my outfit.'
Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly. 'The next thing I am going to fix is her calling me 'milord'. It is very quickly starting to get old.' "Here is your room." He opened the door and gestured for her to enter it. "I will see you in the morning." With that said, he left her to her own devices... whatever those were.